How the Braves' Rotation Has Too Much Depth for Its Own Good

Last season, the Atlanta Braves' pitching staff was decimated by injuries. Mike Hampton went down, then John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and finally Tim Hudson, leaving rookie Jair Jurrjens as the last man standing. 

Ninety losses later, the Braves knew that the offseason would be focused on building pitching depth.

They accomplished that goal.

Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, and Jair Jurrjens front a very strong rotation that could be one of the best in the majors.

Kenshin Kawakami, Tom Glavine, Kris Medlen, and eventually Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson will all fight for a rotation spot this year.

That's eight pitchers deep. It's almost Red Sox-esque.

But is this a good thing? 

Isn't having Glavine on the roster just preventing super prospect Hanson from being called up? 

Doesn't Hudson's eventual return from surgery (probably mid-August) just make the Kawakami signing seem unnecessary?

Sure, it gives Atlanta a ton of options in the rotation (and bullpen), and it's rare that a team will decide it's OK to turn to a six-man rotation. Although would you really be opposed to seeing Medlen and Hanson filling out the back end of the rotation?

How does general manager Frank Wren plan to handle this sudden abundance of pitching?

I have a couple of ideas.

One option that's very possible is trading Javier Vazquez. Although he's been a beast this year, he's also in his contract year. Whether or not Tom Glavine is healthy, the Braves will be staring at six possible starters, with Hudson back a month later. Acquired by trade during the offseason, Vazquez could be the odd man out by late July. 

Vazquez has been tossed around a lot in his career, with Atlanta being his fifth team. But his looming free agency and high level of production makes him a definite trade candidate, possibly to bulk up the outfield.

Would the Yankees like to have him back? Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher were both on the block before the season; could they be had in July?

The San Diego Padres have shown they still want to trade staff ace Jake Peavy, who almost came to Atlanta during the offseason. 

While it's unlikely Frank Wren will start up talks with San Diego again, it's very likely that Atlanta would have the best package to offer.

Do the Braves try to move Vazquez, bring in Peavy, and leave Medlen in the minors (and Glavine on the DL)? It's not completely out of the realm of possibility.

Ultimately, having so many options at starting pitcher is one of the best problems a front office can have. If there's one thing Atlanta has learned in the past couple of years, it's that you can never have too much pitching depth.