Sources: Nick Markakis agrees to four-year deal with Braves

Outfielder Nick Markakis and the Atlanta Braves agreed on a four-year contract, major league sources told Yahoo Sports, ending the 31-year-old’s career-long association with the Baltimore Orioles and likely precipitating a further overhaul by Atlanta.

As negotiations with Baltimore lingered for weeks, the Braves stepped in with an aggressive pursuit of Markakis that paid off with a return to his native Georgia. Markakis is expected to hit leadoff and play right field for Atlanta, replacing Jason Heyward, whom the Braves traded to St. Louis in mid-November.

Markakis spent the first nine years of his career with Baltimore, and his return was considered something of a fait accompli across baseball, particularly because of Orioles owner Peter Angelos’ fondness for him. The Orioles had discussed a contract in the vicinity of four years and $40 million with Markakis, who hit .276/.342/.386 and won a Gold Glove last season. The Braves were believed to be offering somewhere in the neighborhood of $44 million.

After showing flashes of power in his early 20s, Markakis settled in as an on-base threat, something the Braves desperately need after posting a .305 OBP and dealing Heyward. Signing Markakis almost certainly will prompt the Braves to trade Justin Upton or Evan Gattis, their anticipated corner outfielders before Markakis’ signing.

The market for each is robust, even with Upton on the cusp of free agency and Gattis’ ultimate defensive position in question. Both boast one of the rarest talents in baseball today – right-handed power – and Atlanta is interested in cashing in like it did with Heyward, adding Shelby Miller to a rotation that already includes Julio Teheran, Mike Minor and Alex Wood.

Markakis went to high school in Woodstock, Ga., about 30 minutes north of downtown Atlanta and 20 minutes from the Braves’ new stadium, due to open in 2017. With a new front office led by John Hart, the Braves are retooling in 2015 with plans on contending by the time the ballpark opens.

That hasn’t tamped down their aggressiveness with free agents. They were among the finalists on Cuban power hitter Yasmany Tomas, remain on the periphery of the Jon Lester sweepstakes and are expected to be aggressive once 19-year-old Cuban Yoan Moncada is declared eligible by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.