Yesterday I tweeted, mostly jokingly, that Billy Wagner was still on the Braves 40-man roster. Many others have continued to notice the same thing, fueling rumors that the left-hander isn’t ready to retire.
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution did his best to dispel that notion last night, writing that there has been no indication from anyone involved that Wagner has wavered from retirement and is quietly gearing up for spring training. His retirement isn’t official yet, but Wagner’s agent has told Braves general manager Frank Wren on multiple occasions this offseason that his retirement paperwork will be filed.
Well, what the heck has taken so long? Who knows. Buster Olney of ESPN.com wonders if perhaps Wagner has held back on his final decision just in case he gets the impulse to pitch again as spring training nears. Plausible, I guess, but the Braves are confident that Wagner’s fantastic career is over.