Jake Peavy or A.J. Burnett Would Have Been Nice for Braves—But Depth Is Better

Sure, it's easy to look back at the Braves' run of 14 consecutive division titles and attribute the success to the dominant pitching staff assembled by John Schuerholz. The Braves had the luxury of courting Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz throughout the prime of their careers. Playing in October was an expectation. So, with the Braves now four years removed from their last playoff appearance, it's easy to say that the Braves need to get back to the days of pitching, right?

The problem here, however, is that the three aforementioned pitchers also happen to be Cy Young winners and future Hall of Famers.  Maddux and Glavine are both 300-game winners—the threshold where good becomes great—and Smoltz is the only player in Major League history with at least 200 wins and 150 saves.

So, all the Braves need to do in order to return to prominence is go out and sign three HOF pitchers and then build the team around them, correct?  Not so fast.  Aside from the fact that finding three HOF pitchers is a roll of the dice, teams cannot afford that type of talent (unless you are the New York Yankees). 

The general consensus is to build from within the organization.  Finding and developing young talent has been the hallmark of the Braves since the beginning of its magnificent run throughout the late '80s and '90s.  The Braves have some great young pitchers in their farm system—Tommy Hanson, Cole Rohrbaugh, Jeff Locke—that are only a year or two away from breaking onto the big league scene.

Going into this offseason, the Braves' starting rotation was in shambles.  John Smoltz opted to sign with the Boston Red Sox, and Tim Hudson will be rehabbing from Tommy John surgery until August.  The Braves' first inclination was to go after a power arm, front of the rotation starter—a la Jake Peavy.

Sure, having Jake Peavy anchor the rotation for the next four to five years would have been nice, but it would not have been enough to make the Braves a contender in the NL East.  Likewise, paying big on an injury-plagued A.J. Burnett would not have been the answer either (although, I REALLY like him).

With so many spots to fill and a plethora of young talent right around the corner, the answer for the Braves is depth.  Last year four of the five regular starters served significant time on the DL.  If the Braves had signed Peavy, then the rotation going into next year could have potentially looked like this: Peavy, Jurjjens, Glavine?, Reyes?, Hanson? Throw in the possibility of Kawakami, and the rotation is still below average.

However, with the rotation constructed as it is today—Lowe, Jurjjens, Vasquez, Kawakami, Glavine?, and Hanson right around the corner—the Braves are much better suited to compete from April to September.

Now, I'm not predicting a World Series title from this bunch, but I think it is a step in the right direction.  This group has a history of good health and consistency.  If one, or more, of the pitchers does endure injury problems, then the likes of JoJo Reyes or Charlie Morton—both of whom have big league starting experience—can step in and be a serviceable fifth starter.

Am I naive?  Am I biased because of my allegiance to the team?  Possibly.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Jake Peavy giving David Wright some sweet chin music in the mid-90s, but needs are more important than wants.

Kudos to you, Frank Wren.  Throughout a tumultuous offseason, you have managed to deliver a product that Braves fans everywhere can be proud of.