| Brian Reynolds. 3rd June, 2009 - 8:21 am
 While most clubs are stuck pondering how their current starting rotation is going to make it through the long and tumultuous season (see Phillies), the Braves are eagerly awaiting the call-up of one highly-coveted prospect and the return of two savvy veterans to an already deep staff.
If only they could solve their offensive woes.
General Manager Frank Wren opened up his wallet in the off-season to bolster the starting rotation, and thus far it has paid off.
Derek Lowe (3.49 ERA) has done nice work as the team's ace, posting a 6-3 record. Javier Vazquez (3.58 ERA) is tied with Johan Santana for the National League lead in strikeouts with 86. Kenshin Kawakami (4.73 ERA) has struggled at times, but has also shown a great deal of potential.
In addition, Tommy Hanson appears ready to make his long anticipated major-league debut. Tom Glavine is slated to return at some point during their current 10-game homestand. And yes, the great Tim Hudson (who has never had a losing season in the bigs) is planning a return from Tommy John Surgery sometime in the late summer.
All this is happening as another prospect Kris Medlen is coming off a six-inning, nine strike out performance against the Diamondbacks while just allowing one run.
So, a pretty deep staff right? Wait, I forgot to mention the Braves most consistent starter Jair Jurrjens. Jurrjens has been everything and more Bobby Cox could ask for. He's logged 66 innings, while posting a 2.59 ERA. Opponents are hitting a measly .241 against the right-hander.
Despite all the pitching success, Atlanta is stuck with a .500 record (25-25) and find themselves four games behind the defending champion Phillies.
This can mainly be attributed to their anemic offense. While Wren did a great job in bolstering the pitching staff, he really failed to address their offensive needs.
The Braves lack a true power hitter. They have hit only 36 home runs this season - 26th in all of baseball. The Phillies have hit almost double as many long balls (71).
And remember the start of the year, when the Braves nearly swept the Phillies? Atlanta out-homered Philly 8 to 1 in that series, meaning the Phillies have out-homered the Braves 70 to 28 since. Currently, not one player on Atlanta is on pace to hit 20 balls out of the park.
The good thing for Braves fans is Wren is aware of this and seems ready to do something about it.
"I think our offense has to be better to be where we want to be," Wren told Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Potential fits for the Braves include Oakland's Matt Holliday, Colorado's Brad Hawpe, and Baltimore's Aubrey Huff, maybe even Luke Scott.
The Braves should have the pieces to make a deal before this year's deadline.
Kelly Johnson could be involved in a trade for a team that needs a veteran second baseman. Also, Medlen, Jo-Jo Reyes, and Charlie Morton are names likely to be heard in trade talk. Atlanta would also love to get rid of Jeff Francoeur, but there aren't that many teams that seem to be interested.
"It's not going to be easy," Wren said in regards to acquiring a power bat. "We've been talking to clubs for a while, and most of them are reluctant to make a move right now. There are a number of clubs looking for offense with a power bat. None of us can shake one loose."
If the Braves are going to be contenders down the stretch, they are going to need that power bat, so Wren better find a way to "shake one loose."
In the meantime, if you're headed to Turner Field in the summer, be prepared for some lowing scoring games because this Atlanta staff will at least keep the team in the ballgame.
--Brian Reynolds is a contributing writer for RealGM and a recent graduate of Emory University. He can be reached at Brian.Matthew.Reynolds@gmail.com |
