Grading Atlanta Braves on the 2013 MLB Winter Meetings

Despite anxious fans hoping for the Atlanta Braves to make some moves this offseason, the 2013 MLB winter meetings came and went without the Braves making a move.

General manager Frank Wren clearly did not feel comfortable with any moves to pull the trigger this week.

While many fans would like to see the Braves improve the team, this was a predictable week.

The Braves enter the 2014 season with a young nucleus and very few team needs.

Brian McCann signed with the New York Yankees, but the Braves are already set at catcher with Evan Gattis, Gerald Laird and the up-and-coming Christian Bethancourt.

Veteran Tim Hudson signed with the San Francisco Giants, and the Braves will likely look to add another starter. However, one could argue it is not vital with the likes of Julio Teheran, Kris Medlen, Mike Minor, Alex Wood and Brandon Beachy in the rotation.

This puts Wren in the position of being able to pick and choose the most valuable deal.

For example, Bartolo Colon agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract with the New York Mets. Colon looked to be a potential fit in the Braves' rotation, but there's no way I'd give the 40-year-old a two-year deal for that amount.

Sometimes the right move is not making the move.

One player the Braves should be actively shopping is Dan Uggla.

Unfortunately for the Braves, they are going to have to be patient before moving him. After a few other second basemen come off the market, most notably Omar Infante, this will leave a few teams searching for a second baseman.

This is when the Braves can swoop in and make a move. Therefore, fans should stay patient on that front. In the end, I don't see Uggla playing in Atlanta in 2014, but it will take some time to materialize.

The fact that Wren did not make a move also doesn't mean that he didn't get anything accomplished over the past few days.

Wren worked phone lines to determine the market and demand for players. Perhaps, he has positioned the Braves in the leader's spot to pull off a trade or a key player.

I can't tell you that for a fact, but it does seem at least plausible.

While I do think Wren played it smart to not get suckered into some of these deals, he doesn't get a free pass.

He has stated this offseason that the Braves would look to add bullpen depth and a veteran pinch-hitter for bench depth.

Obviously, he was unable to get something done to improve either area this week.

In regards to what got done at the winter meetings, I'll have to give Wren a C-.

These winter meetings are fun for the fans, and the Braves fans didn't get to have any.

However, this is what I expected would happen at the winter meetings from the Braves' perspective, and the overall offseason will be a far more important thing to gauge than just the past few days.

Therefore, I urge Braves fans to stay patient.

The winter meetings may not have been much fun, but wait for the entire offseason to play out before saying it was a total bust.