The Peavy Sweepstakes Vol. 2: The Atlanta Braves

There is a mega pitcher on the trade market this winter by the name of Jake Peavy, the former Cy Young winner who is currently a San Diego Padre. Peavy has allegedly named five teams for whom he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause: the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, St Louis Cardinals, LA Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs.

In this second of a five-part series, I will look at who the Braves have in place, who they are losing to free agency, and what pieces they have that might entice the Padres to move Peavy to Atlanta.

Who's Staying: Larry "Chipper" Jones has done nothing but win since appearing in Atlanta over a decade ago. And while last year was a disappointment for Braves' fans, Jones had one of his better seasons in a stellar career. Hanging around with Jones will be young shortstop Yuniel Escobar, second baseman Kelly Johnson, catcher Brian McCann and a host of young outfielders including Jeff Francoeur.

The rough part of last season came as the Braves pitching staff imploded. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Tim Hudson were to pose a durable one-two-three at the top of the rotation, but all three had injury issues. Mike Hampton made a rare appearance on the major league mound late in the season, and the Braves would like to bring him back for less than his $20 million option.

Who's Going: Glavine will likely retire, and deserves to see his number do the same in Atlanta. Rafael Soriano is a free agent in the bullpen and might command big dollars in a weak market.

Who's Available: Apparently none of the Braves' young talent. General Manager Frank Wren explained to the media earlier this week that he was not inclined to mortgage the future of his franchise to acquire one player, no matter the pedigree. Second baseman Johnson might be available, but it will take more than that to acquire an ace.

The Verdict: Wren was fairly strong in his statement that the Braves like the cards in their hand. The GM has a lot of work to do this winter just keeping his existing team together, as Jones, Smoltz, and Hampton have option that need to be decided on.

There are enough holes in the Braves' lineup that they dealt a few players, most notably Mark Teixiera and Mark Kotsay, to build their system even more. The Braves are in a unique situation: they have established, performing veterans like Hudson and Jones and a strong farm system bringing talent like Escobar to the big leagues regularly now.

While Wren doesn't want to give that farm away, in a division with the Mets and National League Champion Phillies you have to believe that he will make the necessary moves to get the Braves back into contention sooner than later.

Odds of a Peavy trade: 5%