I think we have a Big 4 when it comes to pitching prospects. I don't mean to malign the others. Some may live up to their upside potential. But what sets the Big 4 apart in my mind is that they become mid-rotation or better major league pitchers if they simply develop to the 50th percentile of their potential.

The Big 4 to me are Soroka, Allard, Gohara and Anderson.

Reasonable major league arrival times are mid-season 2018 for Soroka and Allard, mid-season 2019 for Gohara and early 2020 for Anderson.

There is a certain poster around here who is fond of using the phrase "20-20" when discussing when the Braves rebuild might be really in its peak take-off phase. And the more I think about it the more likely it seems that he will be right.

The challenge for the front office is how to handle the years between now and then. Do they try to cobble together competitive teams without compromising what looks like our "real window" in the early 2020s. What do they do with guys like Freeman, Teheran and Ender who will be our best players during the next few years but expensive and possibly in decline by the 2020s.

What kind of pitchers do we acquire to fill out the staff until the Big 4 guys arrive? Do we keep going for aging one-year rentals? Do we mix in some of the homegrown guys who are closer to the majors but have less potential than the Big 4? Do we go for an expensive #1 or #2 on the trade or free agent market?