For a while this offseason, things looked really, really bad for the Braves as general manager Frank Wren tried in vain to swing trades and woo free agents. And that was before right-handed pitcher John Smoltz bolted for Boston.
It wasn't only the fans who were restless; players, too, wondered what was going on. And then, in the span of a three days, right-handed pitchers Kenshin Kawakami and Derek Lowe were introduced, and the players were hopeful again. Wren has more work to do. He has yet to land the power-hitting outfielder that was one of two offseason goals -- along with two veteran starting pitchers -- and there is still the matter of what to do about free agent left-hander Tom Glavine. The Braves' 40-man roster is full, and Glavine cannot be in camp without signing a contract.
(Glavine, rehabbing from left flexor tendon surgery, is still a few weeks away from knowing how well he can pitch, and how soon, so there is some wiggle room there.)
For the rotation, then, spring training will be about slotting the starters, not about hoping to find some.
The bullpen should fall into place with healthy left-hander Mike Gonzalez cemented in the closer's role. There are enough candidates for setup men even if right-handers Rafael Soriano and Manny Acosta can't stay healthy, as they couldn't last season.
For the lineup, the question is whether certain hitters will hit the way they have hit before. Third baseman Chipper Jones and catcher Brian McCann will anchor the lineup, batting third and cleanup, respectively. No one is worried about them.
First baseman Casey Kotchman needs to be a much better hitter than he showed after his trade to Atlanta last July. That would help a lot, as would some plate discipline out of shortstop Yunel Escobar, the presumptive leadoff hitter.
There's still the matter of a power-hitting outfielder. Right fielder Jeff Francoeur worked and trained furiously this offseason to avoid a repeat of last season's shocking fall-off at the plate. Jones, for one, is hopeful.
"He's definitely made some adjustments," Jones said. "His thought process is 300 percent better."
WHERE, WHEN: Champion Stadium at Disney's Wide World of Sports, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The first exhibition game against a major league opponent is Feb. 25 against the Tigers.
TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE: 2B Kelly Johnson poured so much effort into becoming a bona fide second baseman the past two seasons that there wasn't time or energy to work on anything else. But late last season, with his fielding becoming second nature, Johnson was able to relax, and that showed up in his hitting. Manager Bobby Cox has always marveled at Johnson's beautiful swing, and now that it's flowing free and easy, Johnson is ready to deliver.
TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT: RHP Rafael Soriano should be the ideal setup man for LHP Mike Gonzalez, and he should also be able to close when the need arises. But he is guarded about how his arm feels in the best of times, which last season was not. How realistic is it, then, to expect anything different this season as he attempts to come back from right ulnar nerve transposition surgery last August?
AUTHORITY FIGURES: Manager Bobby Cox is entering his 28th season as a major league manager, and his 20th consecutive season with the Braves. Cox also managed the Braves from 1978-81 and the Toronto Blue Jays from 1983-85. He has a career mark of 2,248-1,771 and is 1,972-1,561 with the Braves.
Cox had the plastic parts of both artificial knees replaced in October, and while his gait appears to be the same, he says the knees feel better -- notwithstanding the physical and hydrotherapy he's been subjected to.
His entire staff returns: bench coach Chino Cadahia, pitching coach Roger McDowell, hitting coach Terry Pendleton, first base coach Glenn Hubbard, third base coach Brian Snitker and bullpen coach Eddie Perez, a former Braves catcher.
Play FOX Fantasy Baseball today
