NL East Arms Race: Atlanta Braves

There was a time when the Atlanta Braves were perennial Division Champs. For 14-consecutive seasons, Atlanta marched in to October largely on the strength of their outstanding starting rotation. 

Now, some three seasons removed from their last postseason appearance, the Braves are going back to their roots in order to gain entry to October. The "Arms Race" series rolls on with an in depth look at the Atlanta pitching staff.

Looking back at the 2008 season, the Braves can readily identify that injuries in the pitching department cost them any chance of returning to the postseason. The losses to key personnel were not exclusive to the rotation either, as Atlanta's bullpen suffered the same kind of misfortune to key arms.

General Manager Frank Wren was a man on a mission this winter, charged with rebuilding a beaten and battered rotation for 2009 and beyond. Wren stated his goal was to add at least two front-of-the-rotation starters at season's end.

The initial targets to anchor the rotation included San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy and free-agent A.J. Burnett. However, after weeks of negotiations, any trade agreement with the Padres reached an impasse. Opting to stay in the American League, Burnett signed a five-year pact with the New York Yankees.

While the early travails of the GM were met with disappointment, Wren made the first move when he hooked up for a trade with the Chicago White Sox that netted veteran right-hander Javier Vazquez just prior to the winter meetings.

Vazquez, 32, had long been coveted by Braves manager Bobby Cox. While his stuff has not always translated into the results many thought were to come after his breakthrough season of 2001, Vazquez has averaged 13 wins and 216 innings over the past nine seasons.

The new year got off on a bad note when Braves icon John Smoltz left the only Major League club he had known for 21-season to sign with the Boston Red Sox.

Smoltz had hoped to return to Atlanta, but was unimpressed with Atlanta's largely incentive-based offer. The Braves cited health concerns that tempered their willingness to make a larger guarantee for Smoltz, who was recovering from reconstructive shoulder surgery.

Ultimately, Boston came up with an offer with a larger base salary, more attainable incentives and that targets a June 1 return date for Smoltz. Just like that, Smoltz and the Braves turned a page that many thought would happen only in his retirement.

While fans and scribes alike scrambled to make sense of Smoltz's decision, Wren proved unabated by the inability to lure Burnett to Atlanta and went back to the free-agent well with two bold moves in a span of 72-hours.

The first move was signing Japanese right-hander Kenshin Kawakami to a three-year, $23 million deal. Kawakami, 33, spent an 11-year career with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan's Central League and compiled 112-72 record with a 3.22 ERA in 1642.1 innings.

Just two days later, the Braves landed one of the top starting pitchers available when they signed Derek Lowe to a four-year $60 million contract. Lowe, 35, will anchor the new-look Braves rotation after going 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 34 starts last season.

Lowe spent the first eight seasons of his career in the AL, primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Since 2002, the sinker-balling righty has averaged 15 wins and 208 innings per season. In a 12-year career, Lowe is 126-107 with a 3.75 ERA and 85 saves.

The acqusition of Lowe, Vazquez and Kawakami fortifies the rotation in front of stand-out young hurler, Jair Jurrjens. In his first full season, Jurrjens, 23, turned in 13 wins and a 3.68 ERA in 31 starts to come in third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. The veterans allow Jurrjens to continue his development with the burden of having to front the rotation.

One of the more interesting position battles for Atlanta this spring will be for the fifth starter's job. Some of the pieces left over from 2008's "all-hands-on-deck experiment" will be vying for the opportunity to fill out that final spot.

Among these pitchers will be right-handers Jorge Campillo and Charlie Morton, as well as lefty Jo-Jo Reyes. Campillo, 30, enjoyed modest success after joining the Atlanta rotation, going 8-7 with a 4.34 ERA in his 25 starts. His relief work, 1.25 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 15 appearances, bodes well if Atlanta chooses to utilize Campillo out of the pen.

Morton, 25, and Reyes did not fair as well on the whole, though both showed flashes of what put them among the top organizational pitching prospects. Morton, was just 4-8 with a 6.18 ERA in 14 starts after a June call-up.

Possessing a four-seam fastball that tops out around 95 mph that is complemented by a two-seamer, solid curve and changeup, Morton has all the tools to develop into a valued starter. Command problems hampered Morton's development earlier in his minor league career and seemed to relapse during his stint with Atlanta.

Reyes, 24, seemed to be hitting his stride after eight brilliant innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on June 13. However, from that point on Reyes dropped his final seven decisions to finish just 3-11 with a 5.81 ERA in 23 appearances. Both Reyes and Morton could be used as trade bait to net the Braves an outfielder as well.

The list does not stop there. Top pitching prospect Tommy Hanson, a hard throwing 22-year old who lit up the Airzona Fall League will likely be given the opportunity to audition as well.

Hanson was 11-5 with a 2.41 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 25 starts between two minor league stops in 2008. Atlanta could also choose to let Hanson begin the season in Triple-A Gwinnett.

Righty James Parr got a brief look last season and will also be in camp to compete for a spot on the big league squad. Parr, who turns 27 later this month, posted two good starts before being shelled in his final three. He figures to be a long shot to grab the vacant rotation spot.

Tom Glavine could emerge as a candidate to fill the fifth starter's slot as well. That is, if the Braves and the 42-year old Glavine can agree on terms. Glavine's homecoming was marred by injury and ended when the 300-game winner had surgery on both his elbow and shoulder. Glavine was just 2-4 with a 5.54 ERA in 13 starts.

With a clean bill of health issued by his doctors, the Braves have made Glavine an offer that is believed to be worth $1-2 million and contain little or no incentives. The search for a left fielder will not allow the Braves to stray from their initial offer, so the ball is essentially in Glavine's court.

The Braves also have Tim Hudson, who could make a comeback from Tommy John  ligament replacement surgery in August or September. Hudson, 33, was having a stellar 2008 season, 11-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 23 appearances, before the elbow injury shut him down.

The dominoes in the bullpen started falling in the spring, when projected closer Rafael Soriano reported to camp with discomfort in his pitching elbow. Soriano had just three saves in 14 appearances and spent much of the year on the DL before elbow surgery ended his season in August.

Set-up man Peter Moylan came into his own in 2007, sporting a 1.80 ERA in 80 appearances and holding righties to a .184 average. His encore campaign was over by mid-April, when he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery. The loss of Moylan was a void Atlanta struggled to fill for the rest of  the season.

Atlanta expects both Soriano and Moylan to be back and ready to go this spring, giving the Braves two quality arms in the set-up role.

Mike Gonzalez returned in June to assume the closer's duties, picking up 14 saves in 16 opportunities. Now fully healed from his Tommy John surgery in 2007, Gonzalez has pronounced himself ready to show the Braves the same pitcher they sought when they acquired him from Pittsburgh in December of 2006.

The rest of the cast includes right-handers Blaine Boyer, Jeff Bennett and Manny Acosta. Each saw more than their fair share action due to the rash of injuries.

Boyer spent his winter working out with Smoltz, in hopes of building both the mental and physical stamina to become a more complete pitcher. The heavy workload last season seemed to wear down Boyer. After posting a 3.93 ERA in 51 first half appearances, Boyer was shelled for an 11.17 ERA in 25 outings after the All-Star Break and was all but shut down in September.

Acosta, 27, had a brief opportunity as Atlanta's closer before a wild streak in June and a freak hamstring injury suffered running the bases took put him out of action. The Braves like his stuff and will give him another chance to prove himself this spring.

Atlanta will probably utilize Bennett as a long reliever, likely along with one of the starters who fails to earn a rotation spot. Bennett, 28, made a career-high 72 appearances and seemed to find a groove over the season's final month. Buddy Carlyle could also get a look in the long relief role.

Wren added lefty Boone Logan in the Vazquez deal, and claiming lefty Eric O'Flaherty from the Seattle Mariners. The duo will compete with Jeff Ridgway, among others, to earn a spot as lefty specialist or in middle relief. Logan has seen the most time in the majors of the three, totalling 144 appearances over the past three seasons while with the White Sox.

The Braves are still optimistic that they will be able to bring back lefty Will Ohman, who enjoyed a career season in his first year with Atlanta. Ohman, 31, made 83 appearances in 2008 and held opposing lefties to just a .200 average.

Wren extended an offer to Ohman more than two months ago, but the two sides do not appear any closer to a deal in the first week of February.