Atlanta Braves 2008 Preview

In a perfect world, at the end of the 2008 season Frank Wren, the Atlanta Braves' new general manager, would be hugging manager Bobby Cox on the field, tears running down their faces as they celebrate Cox's twenty-third- and rumored final- season at the helm of the team with his second World Series win.

Sadly, this conclusion is out of reach for this Atlanta Braves team who were at one point the class of the division, but now struggle to compete with the upstart Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.

The Atlanta Braves finished the 2007 season with 84 wins, and considering the few moves that the team needs to make, that seems like a safe bet for where the team will end up at the end of 2008 as well. Granted, the winter meetings and the free agent period have yet to begin, but the Braves have all ready been active so far this off-season, cutting ties to Andruw Jones, their center-fielder of the past decade, and wisely dealing shortstop Edgar Renteria to the Detroit Tigers for pitchers Jair Jurrjens and outfield prospect Gorkys Hernandez. These moves have freed up payroll, which enabled them to bring back Tom Glavine for a one-year swan song. The Braves freed up even more cash with another wise move, dealing reliever Oscar Villareal to the Houston Astros for speedy outfield prospect Josh Anderson.

The results of these moves will be mixed. Glavine, of course, is not quite the pitcher he was a decade ago, but he should still provide the Braves with at least a dozen wins in one final hurrah of his Hall of Fame career. The Braves probably wouldn't have dealt for Jurrjens if they didn't plan on him filling a much-needed role in their pitching staff, but don't be surprised if the 22-year old spends the majority of 2008 at AAA Richmond. And, yes, Gorkys Hernandez may have hit .303 in 680 minor-league at-bats, but he'll be lucky to reach AA Mississippi by the end of 2008.