OPINION

By Richard Justice

updated 8:47 p.m. ET Dec. 4, 2008

There was the spring training morning I leaned on a dugout railing next to Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox as his top three starting pitchers strolled in from the bullpen one after another to throw their first batting practice sessions of a new season.

John Smoltz. Tom Glavine. Greg Maddux. There they were, three future Hall of Famers, the core of one of baseball's longest-running hit shows.

"Now you know," Cox said, "why I'm such a good manager."

Cox is arguably the best manager of his generation, another reason the Braves were so special for so long. Someday, they'll all four have a round of cold ones in Cooperstown.

Cox knew that in Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux he could count on around 600 innings and 45 victories. He knew they made his team an almost instant contender.

Pitching led the Braves to 14 consecutive playoff appearances. Pitching is why in 2008 the Braves missed the playoffs for a third consecutive year.

The Braves had what appeared to be a solid plan for 2008. Smoltz, Glavine, Mike Hampton and Tim Hudson were going to be the foundation of the National League's best rotation.

Injuries decimated that plan. Only Hampton was pitching in September. The Braves scored enough runs to get back to the playoffs, and their bullpen was outstanding.

That bullpen was dead last in save chances because the rotation was 11th in ERA, 12th in victories and 15th in innings pitched. The Braves didn't get 200 innings from a single starter.

So this is where GM Frank Wren has begun his work. He attempted to acquire Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres, but settled for Chicago White Sox righthander Javier Vazquez. He's making a run at free agent A.J. Burnett and has made contact with Derek Lowe's agent.

He has signed backup catcher David Ross and had a discussion with the St. Louis Cardinals about Ryan Ludwick. Mainly, though, Wren's blueprint back to the playoffs is built around a respectable rotation.

The White Sox were willing to trade Vazquez after watching him go 12-16 with a 4.67 ERA last season. The Braves see the glass as half full. They believe getting him into the spacious confines of Turner Field will help his confidence.

They also point to the fact that Vazquez pitched at least 200 innings in eight of the past nine seasons. He's also reasonably priced for the current market. He'll make $11.5 million each of the next two seasons.

"He's been on our radar, probably for 10 years," Cox said. "I consider Javy an elite pitcher."

Wren would like to have Burnett for the front of the rotation and then put Vazquez behind righthander Jair Jurrjens. Burnett apparently has offers from the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies as well.

"Rebuilding our pitching staff was one of our primary focuses," Wren said. "We think we're on the edge of a new generation of pitchers coming up ... and we need some veteran pitchers to throw innings and show them the way. That was really a key part of (getting Vazquez) for us."

Wren's best young hurler is 22-year-old righthander Tommy Hanson. He wasn't going to get Peavy without trading him.

In three minor league seasons, Hanson had a 2.73 ERA and allowed 231 hits in 322 innings. He walked 119 and struck out 373.

The Braves have no idea if Hanson will even be in the big leagues next season or in 2010, but considering what David Price did for the Tampa Bay Rays in his second pro season, Wren's not going to put a ceiling on him.

Wren wanted Hampton back. The Braves paid him $48.5 million during his six seasons but got just 85 starts and 35 victories out of him. That comes to about $1.39 million per victory. Nice work if you can get it. Wren offered him around $2 million, but Hampton signed with the Houston Astros, who threw another $2 million in incentives into the deal.

(Incidental note: Hampton was paid $78.5 million the past six seasons as part of the eight-year, $121 million deal he signed with the Colorado Rockies. During his Atlanta years, the Rockies, Marlins and Braves were all paying portions of his contract.)

So the Braves appear to be coming back together again. On last opening day, the Braves seemed a decent bet to get back to the playoffs.

They're not back to that point yet. Even with Vazquez and Jurrjens, even if Hanson gets to the big leagues in 2009, Wren needs a front-of-the-rotation starter to lead things.

If he lands either Burnett or Lowe, Cox may go to spring training in 2009 once more feeling like a pretty smart manager.

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