With the sun slowly setting on the Major League Baseball 2008 regular season, the Atlanta Braves once again find themselves stuck in the dark.  For the third straight year, Octoberless baseball looms over the the head of Braves Nation like the crisp new halo that now frames Mark Teixeira's million dollar head.  Trailing the division leading Philadelphia Phillies by 8.5 games with 46 games left, the Braves have officially thrown in the towel and turned towards next year.  Although many yearn to forget this dreadful 2008 injury plagued season, one thing has been learned: the Braves must get younger on the mound.

Take the starting rotation for example.  On opening day, the Braves had a formidable five man, veteran-led rotation consisting of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Tim Hudson, Mike Hampton, and rookie Jair Jurrjens. Tom Glavine (42), and John Smoltz (41), once iron man  caliber athletes, are no longer dependable inning-eaters due to the unavoidable effects of old age.

Over the past three years, the 36 year-old Mike Hampton managed to pull, strain, or tear every imaginable muscle in his body.  Smoltz, Glavine, and Hampton have combined for a measly 6-5 record, starting a total of 20 games and pitching roughly 103 innings throughout the entirety of the grueling 2008 season.  

Hudson, who became lonely on the mound without his elders, had season ending Tommy John surgery in order to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.  Did I mention he will miss the majority of the 2009 season as well? Amidst all of the starting rotation injuries, rookies Jair Jurrjens and Jorge Campillo have been bright stars, and will solidify two spots of next year's rotation.

Along with starting rotation woes, the Braves also lost considerable playing time from injured position players including Chipper Jones, Mark Kotsay, Yunel Escobar, Matt Diaz, Omar Infante, and relief pitchers Peter Moylan, Rafael Soriano, and Mike Gonzalez.

Toppled by injuries and old age, many are beginning to wonder if the Atlanta Braves are reverting back to the pre-1991 days that have been seemingly forgotten during the tremendous run of 14 straight division titles from 1991 to 2005.  Rest assured Braves fans, this drought will not last long.

Aside from the starting rotation, the Braves have a plethora of youthful talent that will shape the team for years to come.  Led by pioneers such as Jeff Francoeur, Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar, and the newly acquired Casey Kotchman, the Braves have the potential to return to the top of the National League East with a few adjustments to the starting rotation.  Along with Francoeur, McCann, Escobar, and Kotchman, the Braves also have an enormous amount of talent such including Jason Heyward, Gorkys Hernandez, and Jordan Schafer blooming in the farm system. 

Unlike the last few offseasons, the Atlanta Braves' front office finally has a substantial amount of money to spend in the free agency market during the offseason.  Without the contracts of Teixeira, Hampton, Glavine, and Smoltz, the Braves will have roughly 40 million dollars to spend in the free agency market.  

General Manager Frank Wren will make it a priority to acquire at least one, possibly two, youthful front-line starters.  CC Sabathia, John Garland, Derek Lowe, and Ben Sheets are players that Wren may pursue or inquire about during the upcoming offseason. Wren also hopes to add a power bat to an outfield corps that ranks among the lowest in the Majors in homeruns.

 With money to spend, Frank Wren will do everything possible to turn this team back into the competitive force that they were during the 1990s. By making a splash in the free agency pool this coming offseason, the Braves just might be able to return to their dominant form come 2009.