If Huddy's Back, It's Time For The Braves To Get Real

Braves' fans have to be excited to hear that Tim Hudson's extension is underway. He's a quality starter who likes the organization. Can't ask for more than that ... except that the Braves now have a serious overload of SPs. Time to make some real deals, hopefully involving Derek Lowe.

Even though Javier Vazquez's name keeps coming up in potential trade offers, the Braves would be wise to keep him in the rotation. Who (not named Tommy Hanson or Jair Jurrjens) can give the Braves' rotation more bang for their buck? Javy is worth every penny, as he eats inning with sick K numbers. Get him some offensive backup and the guy's in Cy Young talks - if he's not already.

Speaking of offense, the Braves have to figure out something to do with Derek Lowe. Clearly, he's a difficult piece to move, but it's not an impossible situation. Many teams would appreciate a solid starter like Lowe. The Angels are most likely going to lose John Lackey to big money, and could use a pitcher like Lowe. Go after Juan Rivera, Frank Wren. He's not the ideal bat, but the Braves need some power, and more importantly, they need to part ways with Mr. Lowe. If not the Angels, the Braves might be able to work something out with the Rangers, possibly involving Nelson Cruz. Personally, I'd still like to see some talk about dealing Lowe to the Nationals. Adam Dunn would fit in nicely with the Braves, especially if Wren decides to let Adam LaRoche walk.

I hate to repeat what others have been saying, but the situation seems pretty dire. With the World Series thankfully behind us, the Braves really need to lunge into the offseason with some tangible situations. I just don't want to see January creep up on Atlanta, and Derek Lowe's name still on the roster.