Atlanta Braves News and Links: Braves headed north as Spring Training ends

BRAVES NEWS

Braves close out Grapefruit League with ninth inning trouble, 2-2 tie

The Braves are done playing Spring Training games for 2017, and the only remaining game that does not count will be the one played on Friday at SunTrust Park. The Yankees will be in town to help unveil the new park to a less-than-capacity crowd. As for Wednesday’s spring finale, the Braves took the lead in the seventh only to see that lead slip away late, resulting in a tie against the Mets.

Braves unveil Hank Aaron statue at SunTrust Park

The Braves revealed last week that a plan was in place to introduce a new statue to SunTrust Park, which would represent Hank Aaron and would be a crown jewel of the decor in Cobb County. The work was unveiled on Wednesday, and the image was as awe-inspiring as we could have hoped for. Hank stands nine feet tall, and weighs about seven tons. Quite the tribute for one baseball’s greatest icons.

Braves' roster decisions go down to the wire

With the spring slate coming to a close on Wednesday, the Braves can now set their sights solely on the regular season and finalize any lingering roster decisions in the coming days. According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the team is still considering the possibility of acquiring one of those final pieces from outside the organization:

Before determining exactly who might fill the final roster spots, the Braves must determine whether they will stick with their current plan to utilize an eight-man bullpen. For now, they are simply waiting to see if they can acquire a hitter whose potential value would make it more appealing to go with a five-man bench.

MLB NEWS

Ichiro Suzuki, baseball wizard, wants to play until he's 50 years old

I’m not entirely sure what constitutes being a baseball wizard, but anyone who can play until they are 50 is doing something at least slightly magical. Ichiro is one of the best players of this era, and will likely be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee when his time comes, but according to him, that day will not come anytime soon.

What a relief! Tribe boasts game's best 'pen

Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com released his top five bullpens in baseball on Wednesday, with the Indians, Orioles, Dodgers, Cubs, and Yankees making the cut. Nobody from the NL East in that top group, though the Nationals did get an honorable mention despite their lack of a designated closer.