Hot- Stove

The 303-game winner returned to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, agreeing to an $8 million, one-year contract. The agreement between the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner and the Braves was hammered out during weekend talks, said Glavine’s agent, Gregg Clifton. The pitcher already has taken a physical for Atlanta, the final formality in the deal.

The Braves needed less than a week to lure Glavine back after an acrimonious split in 2002 that led to him spending five seasons with the New York Mets.

The Braves were eager to add depth to a rotation that relied heavily on John Smoltz and Tim Hudson and never settled on reliable options in the fourth and fifth slots. In addition to landing Glavine, they hope for a return to health by Mike Hampton, who missed the last two seasons with injuries. He has started another rehab stint in the Arizona Fall League.

Glavine, who will turn 42 before the start of next season, went 13-8 with a 4.45 ERA in 200 1-3 innings for the Mets this year.

Braves general manager John Schuerholz still won’t publicly comment on the club’s potential interest in Glavine. But the veteran pitcher’s agent, Gregg Clifton, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution late Tuesday night that there has been some dialogue.

There is a general consensus that Glavine wants to return to Atlanta where he can be close to his wife and children, who still reside in one of the city’s suburbs.

Glavine would also like the opportunity to be wearing a Braves uniform as he chases the possibility of becoming the 23rd pitcher in Major League history to reach the hallowed 300-win milestone. His 15-win 2006 season leaves him just 10 shy of that mark.

If Glavine returns to Atlanta, he’ll likely need to accept a one-year offer in the neighborhood of $7 million. The Mets will likely offer an annual salary of at least $11 million.