Marlon Byrd and Mark DeRosa do not light my fire. Neither does Nick Johnson, whose injury history makes Chipper look like Cal Ripken Jr.

–CB

One year and $3 mil, reports CBS’ Danny Knobler.

The upside, assuming a deal is consummated: Atlanta’s bullpen will have two proven closers for a combined price of $10 mil — much more than it would cost to retain Gonzo and BMF. In 2007, Saito and Wagner combined for 73 saves.

The downside: The youngest of the two is 38 (Saito is 40) and both are coming off major surgeries.

Still, I like the signings, which aren’t onerous in length or price. As I wrote last week, Saito has been a stud during his short MLB career. In 245 career innings he has 297 strikeouts, 83 saves and a 2.05 ERA.

–CB

UPDATE: It’s official.

Billy Wagner says all the right things and you can tell he means it.

“I’m happy to be here. I’ve always been a life-long Braves fans. My grandparents have always been Braves fans, and it’s kind of like full circle. I don’t know how many times I went to Bobby when were playing against him and said, ‘Hey, you know, let’s help me out here. Get me over here. I can do something, carry towels or something.’ ” …

“Listen, I mean, granted TBS and WGN were about all you could get in southwest Virgina. But when you truly love a team, you love a team through thick and thin. You know, around the era that I started to know baseball, it was through the thin with the Braves. So when you love somebody, you start to figure it out. And then when I got ito college in the early ’90s, they were making their run into the playoffs.

“Then once I got drafted, I helped them get further.”

Wags has bought himself a very long leash with this fan.

–CB

“I told Bobby I’d take the ball whenever he called down there.”

Nice hearing that from our new closer — BMF lost me when he asked out of the opener of that key series vs. the Phils. Billy Wagner, interviewed on the MLB Network Wednesday night, said the two things I most like to hear from a new Brave: 1.) They were my favorite team growing up and 2.) I wanted to play for Bobby.

–CB

Mark Bowman mentions free agents Octavio Dotel, Takashi Saito and Fernando Rodney as pitchers FW is targeting. Rodney is the youngest and has the best stuff though his track record is spotty. Saito is the oldest but has the best numbers. Dotel falls somewhere in between. All three have closing experience.

–CB

Bobby doesn’t usually make news in his columns for Chop Talk, but this excerpt caught my eye:

Even though he was injured and was unable to play during the Arizona Fall League, Jason Heyward is the top player in our Minor League system, and he’ll be given every chance to compete for a job at Spring Training.

The Braves have shown they aren’t afraid of promoting prospects with very little seasoning (see Fukey and Andruw). Expect to see Heyward in RF when the Braves open the season at home vs. the Little Bears. Perhaps he’ll take Carlos Zambrano deep.

–CB

He’s Billy Wagner’s agent, and as CleteBoyerFan informed us, Stringfellow once pitched for the Braves organization in the mid-1980s.

–CB

Billy Wagner is coming to Atlanta for a reported one-year, $7 million deal with a $6.5 million option in 2011 that vests if he finishes at least 50 games next season.

It’s a low-risk signing, considering the money involved. Yes, Wagner is 38 and fresh off elbow surgery, but he appeared as effective as ever in 17 appearances with the Mets and Red Sox, striking out 26 in 15-2/3 innings. He has a career 2.39 ERA and has averaged well more than a strikeout per inning. Among active pitchers only Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman have more saves.

Frank Wren still has enough money left to fix the offense AND add depth to the ‘pen. Wagner, O’Flaherty, Moylan and Medlen form a solid late-inning nucleus, though the Bravos could use at least one more proven reliever. Free agents Octavio Dotel and LaTroy Hawkins would be ideal supplements.

–CB

Sorry, it ain’t Murph. He was a special player, and an all-time Brave, but not a baseball immortal.

Tom Emanski agrees

There’s a better case to be made for Fred McGriff, a first-time candidate on this year’s ballot:

HR: McGriff, 493; Murph, 398

RBI: McGriff, 1550; Murph, 1266

BA: McGriff, .284; Murph, .265

Murphy was better defensively and has two MVP awards. But McGriff finished in the Top 10 in MVP balloting six times, twice more than Murphy. And in 50 postseason games, the Crime Dog batted .303, with 10 homers and 37 RBI.

Jayson Stark says McGriff belongs in Cooperstown..

“Fred McGriff’s greatest years came BEFORE the numbers exploded on us in 1993. This man was a difference-maker before the world went haywire on us. So how come so many people are lumping him in there with the rest of the PED generation? I understand that those 12 seasons from 1993-2004 comprise two-thirds of McGriff’s career. But let’s look at the numbers he put up early in his career, when 30-homer seasons were a feat for real, live middle-of-the-order mashers, not No. 6 hitters: From 1988-92, McGriff had four seasons with an adjusted OPS-plus of 153 or better, more than anyone else in either league. Both of his two home run titles came in that span (1989 and ‘92). He finished in the top four in his league in home runs, OPS and home run ratio in all five of those years. And how many other players could say that? How about zero.”

–CB

That Milo Hamilton is in the Hall of Fame and Skip, Pete and Ernie are not is a travesty. You can help change that by voting online, beginning 10 a.m. Tuesday. Vote early and often.

–CB