Atlanta

Depth is key to any team with legitimate playoff aspirations. The Phillies were able to win a world series with Matt Stairs having some key hits in there NLCS series against the Dodgers, and the Yankees benefited from having Brett Gardner running around the bases late in games last October.

One thing Bobby Cox has always managed to do with the Braves is maximize the potential of the Braves fringe starters and bench players.

The shortstop position has been ever changing since Cal Ripken Jr. first stepped on a major league field.

The position that used to have only the smallest players and lightest hitters is now filled with tall and powerful baseball players who use their size to extend their defensive range rather than pure speed.

The trend of big, filled-out shortstops has developed so much that it now has branches of styles stemming from it.

Pitchers and catchers reporting tomorrow down in Orlando (or "Dark Star" as Dave O'Brien of the AJC has so cleverly coined it)  has a welcoming ring to it.

Every trade, every signing, every prospect, and every rumor has been dissected and bantered about throughout this hot stove season to the point where the only thing really left to do is the most important of all: play ball.

Let me preface this by saying that I have seen no linkage of any kind between the Atlanta Braves and Felipe Lopez.

I think we can go ahead and throw out the sexy trade rumors that we've all heard (and which I promoted here and here ) since the Vazquez trade.

Here we sit in the first week of 2010, and the Atlanta Braves still, seemingly, have a hole to fill in the outfield.

With a starting group currently composed of Cabrera-McLouth-Diaz (the Braves will probably end up taking the Hanson route with Heyward), you can kind of see why.

With that in mind, though, you have to think that the Braves aren't going to be looking to break the bank (sorry, no Matt Holliday ) since they could go to war with that group and be okay.

It hasn't been a great off-season for Atlanta. Simple as that.

The divisional opponents have gotten stronger. Atlanta has gotten weaker. Sure, we can debate whether Atlanta has made the right moves, but none of it adds up to a stronger team.

Next year, there will be no Vazquez, LaRoche, Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano or Kelly Johnson. There will be Melky Cabrera, Troy Glaus and Billy Wagner. Add all that up and I'd prefer to have those former players, not the latter group.

By Caesar Cliffius

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The Atlanta Braves and third baseman Troy Glaus are close to signing a contract. ESPN reported that the only object in the way of signing Glaus is a physical exam. MLB.com is already showing Glaus in a Braves cap on his profile page.

It looks like the Braves have found their right-handed power hitter.

Despite playing only six games in his career at first base, the Braves signed Troy Glaus to a one-year/$2 million contract yesterday:

Free agent corner infielder Troy Glaus and the Atlanta Braves have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, a baseball source told ESPN.com on Wednesday.