Dear Virginia,
There isn't a Santa Claus and the Braves are not going to come back to win the National League East or even the Wild Card for that matter. Braves' fans and sportswriters are in a state of denial. No one ever expected the Braves dynasty (and it is a dynasty) of 14 consecutive division titles to end so ignominiously. But it has.
It's easy to ask why the Braves are playing so badly and to point to injury - the loss of Rafael Furcal, who seemed to get on base and score almost at will. Or maybe their problem is the fact that the young superstars that the team is developing have matured more slowly than expected, or maybe it's even the loss of pitching guru Leo Mazzone, which certainly has left the pitching staff in disarray.
What all of this adds up to is that the team is good enough to play competitive ball and bad enough to lose regularly.
The Braves are capable of playing better ball than they have been playing lately, but the pitching, even with John Smoltz and Tim Hudson is just too weak - especially with a bullpen that has been decimated by injuries.
The age of this team may be a factor as well - especially with team stalwart Chipper Jones who has managed just seven long balls over the first half of the season.
Another possibility is that maybe the rebuilding really just isn't complete. The Braves have holes, big holes that still need to be plugged. While it would break the heart of the team's faithful fans if longtime Braves like John Smoltz or Chipper Jones were traded, it might well be the right time. No doubt that both would like to remain Braves until the end of their careers but their skills are declining and both of them would bring good returns on the trade market - especially Smoltz, who just last week stated that he'd be open to a trade that would help the team.
While Smoltz is willing to take it for the good of the team (he has made it clear he'd like to retire a Brave), it's also worth considering that maybe the Braves owe it to him to give him another chance to win a World Series ring - something that isn't going to happen in Atlanta.
And then of course there is Tim Hudson. Hudson is the jewel of the team right now as far as trade value goes and he doesn't have a 'no trade clause'. But his contract calls for him to be an affordable pitcher next season (Seven million and change) and if General Manager John Schuerholz believes that the team can compete next season he'll need to hang on to Hudson.
That's leads us to another question... Are the Braves going to be competitors next season? Certainly many people thought they'd be a lot better than they are this year. Maybe that was wishful thinking - rebuilding rarely is seamless, and despite all the hype the Braves are an organization that is undergoing rebuilding.
This leads to the bigger question, are the Braves done rebuilding? The answer probably has to be no, despite assertions to the contrary. Chipper is aging, Smoltz is nearing retirement, and the pitching is a shambles. Horacio Ramirez is constantly on the DL, Mike Hampton is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and the rest of the staff at this point is pretty non-descript. The team needs another big masher, a legitimate leadoff hitter, and pitching everywhere down the line.
Smoltz, Hudson, and Chipper (who would need to approve any trade) will bring young talent in trade and in the case of Hudson and Smoltz should command prospects that are ready (or nearly ready) to play at the big league level - players that hopefully can grow and fill some of the team's gaping holes.
Transition is always hard and this organization has had a knack for patching newcomers into their framework. They just kept chugging along and dominating - it's one of the most remarkable accomplishments of any organization in the game. Most teams manage this for a handful of years at best; the Braves have done it for fourteen seasons. Braves' fans have a lot to be grateful for over the last 14 years - the team played some great baseball, won a World Series, visited the postseason 14 consecutive times, had one of the greatest pitching staffs, maybe ever, and fielded some great superstars, despite a change of ownership and budgeting restrictions that have gotten tighter and tighter.
The division is only going to get tougher, the Marlins are well into their rebuilding, the Nationals have new owners and will have greater capital for investing in players, the Mets are using their financial muscle as well as developing their own talent and the Phillies clearly realize that it's time to change strategy. The Braves have one of the great general managers in the game and he's no doubt looking for solutions right now. We'll know by the trading deadline just what he plans to do.
But we can safely bet that the Braves will rise
again.
