Going into the offseason Frank Wren had two areas that he needed to address: The bullpen and the lineup.
With the addition of Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, and Jesse Chavez it would appear that the makeover of the bullpen may finally be complete.
The real question now is who will Bobby Cox be calling for once the starting pitchers finish their job?
The way I see it, assuming the Braves decide to go with seven relievers, as they usually do, there is a major competition to break Spring Training on the Major League roster.
Certainly, barring injury, Wagner, Saito, Peter Moylan, Kris Medlen, and Eric O'Flaherty are guaranteed spots on the opening day roster. That leaves only two spots up for grabs among the remainder of the hopefuls.
Taking a look at the Braves' 40-man roster, it appears that the competition to fill those last two spots will be fierce. In addition to Chavez, you have at least seven other pitchers who will be competing for a spot in the bullpen.
While Manny Acosta was frequently demonized last season and often didn't pitch well, he seemed to be a favorite of Bobby Cox. Acosta also seems like a good candidate for a rebound in 2010.
After all, Acosta's 4.34 ERA was close to a full point worse than his 3.54 ERA in 2008. Even better, Acosta posted an ERA of 2.28 in 2007. At only 29 years old, it is hard to imagine Acosta not having the capability of rebounding in 2010. While I'm sure he'll be on a shorter leash in 2010 than he was in 2009, I do think that he is highly likely to be on the Braves' opening day roster.
The number of top hitting lefties in the National League East might encourage Bobby Cox to take another lefty to Atlanta with him. If so, Boone Logan becomes the logical choice.
Logan pitched in 20 games last season for the Braves and had an ERA of 5.19. While his Logan held left-handed batters to an average of .231 in 2009, he struggled mightily against right-handed batters, who hit .364 against him last season.
Ultimately with Logan, it will depend on how effective he is against right-handed batters in Spring Training that will dictate where he starts the season.
Of course, the Braves could also elect to start the newly acquired Jesse Chavez in Atlanta next season.
Bobby Cox will be happy to learn that Chavez pitched in 73 games last season and seems to be the type of reliever that can be trotted out to the mound day after day after day without tiring.
While he may not have been the return that Braves' fan were hoping for from trading Rafael Soriano, he still could prove to be a valuable middle reliever from the team in 2010.
Ultimately, I think that Bobby will elect two of the aforementioned three to complete his bullpen. Not that these are his only possibility's. He still could chose from a motley crew of five or six reasonable bullpen choices.
This depth was certainly a goal of Frank Wren and should bode well for the Braves in 2010.
About the Author
Jim Cheney is a regular contributor to the Fan Huddle Sports Network. His writing can be found at Braving Baseball.
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