On Wednesday, Atlanta agreed to a one-year, $725,000 contract with Mark DeRosa, who was arbitration eligible. DeRosa currently will open Spring Training as the Braves starting third baseman, which may leave them with less production from third than when Vinny Castilla was manning the position. DeRosa doesn't possess substantial speed or power skills, and he lacks patience at the plate, so in order to have any offensive success the 28-year-old needs to maintain a high contact rate. He held a .89 contact rate in 2002 but struggled in the first half of 2003 as his contact rate dropped to .77. While he did improve in the second half when he rebounded to a .86 contact rate, relying on someone with such questionable skills to fill a starting role isn't a smart gamble on the part of the Braves. Luckily, Atlanta isn't paying him very much, though he will receive a $25,000 bonus if he appears in 105 games.