don't discredit yourself too quickly there, Arrow.... I heard Ben Ingram (voice of the Ms Braves) on his show this afternoon declare that the Braves are going to "blow up" the team for next year. Smoltz and Glavine (and now Hudson) are probably long gone. The only players we will recognize from this year will be Chipper, McCann and Francoeur.
There will be a lot of "cap room"...and the Braves will have to rebuild. They have a lot of talent in the AA and AAA's and may choose to use some of that and build ala the Rays. That Rays had most of the talent that they are winning with at the Montgomery Biscuits for the past couple of years. That team steady whipped *** in the Southern League for the past two or three years....and look at them now. With no big names or money. They didn't even make a move to be a "buyer" this week.
It will be interesting to watch the Braves put the 2009 team together.
(addendum -- I am still so pissed that I can't see straight. The Braves just had to trade 5 damn good and some great prospects last year to get Texiera. Okay if they can make that into a Playoff or World Series winner. How did that work out? And this year they suck and Texiera is outstanding. They have to sell him off the the highest bidder and get a AAA value of a first baseman. What a damn Charlie Foxtrot! The shiny is wearing off the decisions of the front office....real quick. Look for some changes there also.)