Patience Is Key for the Atlanta Braves This Offseason

The Philadelphia Phillies signed Jonathan Papelbon. The Miami Marlins signed Jose Reyes and Heath Bell, with more possibly on the way. The New York Mets have even made a deal, bringing in Andres Torres from the San Francisco Giants.

The Atlanta Braves on the other hand, have been quiet on both the trade and free-agent front, much to the dismay of many Braves' fans who want a starting shortstop and left fielder in place, and or a trade that sends Martin Prado or Jair Jurrjens out of town to make that happen.

However, while many Braves' fans are calling for general manager Frank Wren to pull the trigger on a trade or a free-agent signing, recent history has shown that's not the wisest move.

The biggest example of the lack of patience on the Braves' part was during the summer of 2009 when the Braves desperately needed starting pitching. In response to that need, they signed Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami and traded for Javier Vazquez. While the Vazquez trade eventually netted us Arodys Vizcaino, the Lowe deal gave us 40 wins over three years (and over a 4.00 ERA in each year) and the Kawakami deal gave us a very expensive Double-A player.

Here's another example. In August, 2007, the Braves literally traded the farm for Mark Teixeira. Although, this was a midseason trade, Braves' fans were calling for a deal that would bring in a star player to push the Braves towards the playoffs. And we all know what happened after that. Teixeira couldn't push the Braves over the top, was traded again a year later, and the Braves were out multiple prospects, who would be filling multiple holes the Braves are currently looking to fill.

Think about it. Had that deal never been made, Elvis Andrus would be the current starting shortstop, Neftali Feliz would have been penciled into the starting rotation, as well as Matt Harrison, and the rush to starting pitching would likely have never happened. Lowe might have been signed, but Kawakami would likely have stayed in Japan, or faltered for another team.

Now, to bring it back to this year. I'm not saying the Braves don't need to seek a trade that involves Prado and/or Jurrjens, or look at signing a free agent. All I'm saying is that patience is the key.

In a world where you're trying to compete for a playoff spot or even more, hasty moves can be the difference between your success over the course of a decade, and being the Pittsburgh Pirates over the course of a decade.

The future is bright for the Braves. There are many pieces they can use to trade for the right players for the team, while there are also multiple players on the free-agent market that will fill in nicely for a good price.

So, while other National League East teams spend, spend, spend...the Braves should remain patient because they're not looking for a star player. Instead, the Braves are looking for the right player to fit in and really push the team over the top.

So, patience Braves fans. Moves will be made. They just might not be made today.