Winter Meetings Wishlist

Written by Jonathan on December 8, 2008 – 1:14 pm

Winter Meetings get under way today in Las Vegas and here’s hoping that the Braves can pull together a few more deals to get the club heading in the right direction for 2009.  It looks like Wren will be using the week to try and fill the two main needs that he has for the Braves in the offseason:

An Ace:
The Braves have had a primary objective this offseason of solidifying the rotation and I don’t think that has been any secret.  Earlier in the offseason, the hype completely surrounded Wren’s offer to acquire Jake Peavy. But after being drawn out for weeks and finally seeing the offer rescinded, the Braves were back at square one trying to fill the front end of the rotation.  Who knows?  Maybe there’s still some veiled hope out there that we manage to acquire him, but I’m not counting on that at all.

Since then, the focus has shifted to AJ Burnett, with Wren laying out a 4-year offer to him late last week.  Burnett’s agent, Darek Braunecker, is in the position to be one of the most popular people at Winter Meetings this week.  As one of the top pitchers on the free-agent market this offseason (aside from CC Sabathia), Burnett has potential interest from the incumbent Blue Jays, Yankees, Orioles and Phillies.  I think the biggest sticking point with the Braves’ offer right now is still the fifth-year option.  Braunecker has repeatedly said that Burnett will “definitely have the opportunity to accept a guaranteed five-year contract”.  He however has also indicated that Atlanta has become an even more attractive option after last week’s signing of Javier Vazquez.

Aside from chasing Burnett, there has been little word of Wren’s other interests in trying to track down an ace of the staff.  Let’s just hope we’re not putting too much hope on one target and that something good comes out of it this week.

A Power-Hitting Outfielder:
Wren has indicated that he is not too interested in the hard-hitting outfielders that are available on the free agent market this offseason.  It just doesn’t seem that the talent or fit needed for the Braves is available, but he’s always keeping an eye out for someone that can bolster the power numbers at the plate next season.  Wren’s focus this week will revolve around finding pitching and he has placed no real deadline for adding power to the outfield.

With such little interest in the free agent market, I’d look for Wren to make a move with a trade to try and fill this role, but I wouldn’t expect that happening until later this offseason, into the first few months of 2009.  Who would you like to see come to Atlanta to fill this role?

So there’s the general update on what we’re looking for Wren to try to track down during Winter Meetings this year.  Look for the big focus to be on pitching, but we’ve been surprised in the past by some moves that we had previously heard little about.  We’ll keep updating as we hear more out of Las Vegas. What’s on your Winter Meetings wishlist for this year?

Tags: A.J. Burnett, Frank Wren, rumors, Winter Meetings
Posted in General, Speculation | 4427 Comments »http://www.bravesblast.com/2008/12/08/winter-meetings-wishlist/Winter+Meetings+Wishlist2008-12-08+17%3A14%3A54Jonathan