DOB: Braves offseason about to get a lot busier. - Gamel released.

[nsacpi]

He better not show up here I took a double dose of PEDs this morning with my Geritol

Wow. Glad to see you're still around.

[Perfect Cell]

Busy busy

[Lenny]

Maybe Wren is trying to sign a free agent and he doesn't want to mess things up so he's taking his time.

[NinersSBChamps]

Maybe Wren is trying to sign a free agent and he doesn't want to mess things up so he's taking his time.

Let's hope not because that player will be two things. Overpaid and a terrible player.

[nsacpi]

Let's hope not because that player will be two things. Overpaid and a terrible player.

Unless its ellsbury

[Runnin]

[NinersSBChamps]

Frank Wren has very female looking hands.

[NinersSBChamps]

It sucks that teams all around baseball are getting better and here the Braves are standing pat. Actually worse with the departures of Hudson and McCann.

[cajunrevenge]

Yeah I think its pretty clear the Braves are not making any significant moves this offseason. Wren will fill out the bench and bring in some arms off the scrap heap.

[thethe]

It sucks that teams all around baseball are getting better and here the Braves are standing pat. Actually worse with the departures of Hudson and McCann.

The Braves have a bunch of young players that are more than likely going to be better this year than last year. That can't be ignored. There is a possibility that Gattis will produce more next year than Mac did this year and the overall production from the starting rotation should get better as our young guys got more experience.

[nsacpi]

In a heartbeat I'd take Ellsbury. It's a moot point because FW handcuffed this team with Uggla and BJ's contracts.

Do you think it would have been a good move to sign Ellsbury to a contract similar to one the Yankees just gave him?

[Enscheff]

I still think Wren is going to:

1) Fix 2B
2) Find a vet starter on a 1 year deal that everyone will hate irrationally all year
3) Bring in a quality BP arm on the cheap once the music stops and a couple guys are left without a seat
4) Add at least 1 quality hitter to the bench that could be a decent starter if needed

That is really all this team needs, and there are still plenty of options out there for all but 2B. Kendrick and Infante are still possibities for the gaping vortex of suck that is the 2B position on the Atlanta Braves roster.

[emk418]

The Braves have a bunch of young players that are more than likely going to be better this year than last year. That can't be ignored. There is a possibility that Gattis will produce more next year than Mac did this year and the overall production from the starting rotation should get better as our young guys got more experience.

Agreed. I don't have faith in BJ but he can't get worse. I also expect Heyward, Freeman, Justin, and Simmons to continue developing. Also, our rotation is a year older.

[NinersSBChamps]

Do you think it would have been a good move to sign Ellsbury to a contract similar to one the Yankees just gave him?

The Braves don't have that kind of money, so they would never sign someone to a deal like this.

[Perfect Cell]

The Braves have a bunch of young players that are more than likely going to be better this year than last year. That can't be ignored. There is a possibility that Gattis will produce more next year than Mac did this year and the overall production from the starting rotation should get better as our young guys got more experience.

theres a possibiliyy gattis is worse than mac too. Point being right now December 2013 we are worse on paper than we were before the season. Good thing theres still time left till spring training

[PawPawMaxwell]

One thing I havent seen much of here is What influence on the 2014 roster will the new stadium have? Any? Who knows. But with the deal confirmed what will the Atlanta city council do about Turner Field costs over the next 3 years? Are they contracturally bound and will the Braves even demand compliance? If the stadium is allowed to deteriorate, attendance will decline, available money to the team decreases and on and on.

[thethe]

theres a possibiliyy gattis is worse than mac too. Point being right now December 2013 we are worse on paper than we were before the season. Good thing theres still time left till spring training

I just don't see how we are worse on paper. Our core is so young are you not projecting improvement at all?

[nsacpi]

The Braves don't have that kind of money, so they would never sign someone to a deal like this.

You mentioned earlier that you would like to see an upgrade in CF and after I presented some options you picked Ellsbury. Are there some more realistic options that you would like to bring in to upgrade center.

[Tapate50]

I just don't see how we are worse on paper. Our core is so young are you not projecting improvement at all?

I do project improvement, but its hard to "bank" on. I would much rather look at any improvement as a bonus that puts us over the top, not something we rely on to get back to where we were last year.

I think any improvement will come from a full year of Heyward, small progression for Freddie, BJ not being last year bad, and Simmons getting a little more consistent. I don't think that will amount to as much as people believe.

And to this point, there might be a lot of luck involved with getting a full season from Heyward so thats optimistic.

The rotation is a real question. How much improvement can Julio\Minor\Medlen really contribute. Maybe a little? Having Wood and Beachy will help and should be better than Maholm if they recover from injury\don't regress. But those are real possibilities as well.

[Enscheff]

I would expect CJ and one of Minor/Teheran (purely by chance) to be worse in 2014. I expect CF and 2B to be better since they can't possibly be any worse. The rest I expect to be better/worse randomly but end up about even.

Overall a bit worse than last year, but still a 90 win team that will be fighting for a WC slot. If Wren fixes 2B, adds a reliable starter, grabs a solid BP arm, and puts some actual hitting talent on the bench it becomes a 95 win team capable of challenging for the division and is a legit WS contender.