Why the Atlanta Braves Are Better Off Without Tom Glavine

(Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

This Glavine nonsense has got to stop!

This whole thing started as a PR move and it ended up being a bad PR move. Baseball shouldn't be driven by the public relations departments.

Moves will be made in this league for one reason and one reason only, to better the club and it's organization; whether that be to help make a push for the post-season, help the future of the club, or for financial purposes.  Major League clubs make moves all of the time for these reasons only.

Glavine isn't an exception here. The Braves starting rotation is honestly better off without him. Atlanta doesn't need Tom Glavine, especially a 42-year-old Glavine coming off arm surgery.

He was signed for two reasons: One, because the Braves wanted to take as many pitchers as they could into Spring Training to avoid a repeat of a depleted starting staff that occurred in 2008.

And two, they probably wanted to keep the fans somewhat happy after John Smoltz departed for Boston. Seriously though, what could Glavine bring to the Braves as a spot starter that Campillo, Carlyle, Bennett, Hanson, Reyes, or Medlen can't?

The answer here is nothing. Why not throw in a younger guy with much more upside that at the very least is going to pitch about the same as Glavine. And on top of that... they're millions of dollars cheaper.

Enter Nate McLouth. The Braves will take the money that they would have given to Glavine and they'll turn it over to their new centerfielder. Both moves make sense. The Braves are obviously struggling at the plate and not on the mound.

If Glavine could play centerfield and be a potential 30/30 guy we would not be having this conversation. But he can't and while Braves fans will always remember Glavine for Game Six in the 1995 World Series, they also want another shot at another title. And these two moves get them closer to that goal.

Everyone wants to point fingers on how a lot of stuff has went down, but at the same time they have to think of the direction of the team.

Considering everything that could have happened, Frank Wren has done a stand-up job.

• Dealing with Kevin Towers and Jake Peavy in San Diego
• Failing to land the overpriced A.J. Burnett
• The Rafael Furcal debacle
• Not being able to land Griffey Jr.
• Smoltzie
• And now Glavine

But look at the roster overhaul this guy has done. It's not what any of us were expecting and it's not necessarily his original plan; but he has put together a very competitive team and he continues to progress as a GM in this league.

I am very pleased with the job that the starting pitching staff has done so far this season. And this group of innings eaters will only continue to improve as the rest of the NL staffs decline and tire out in the coming months of the season.

Hopefully the Braves offense will follow suit with the addition of McLouth. Lord knows, they couldn't get any worse.

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