Braves trade Gilmartin for Ryan Doumit.

[BoomBoom]

Solid trade, probably in Twins favor. Gives braves a needed bench bat and C insurance.Twins get a former 1st round pick with 6 years of team control, but who was terrible in AAA last year and no longer projects as anything other than a back of the rotation starter. But 6 years of Paul Maholm is probably > 1 year of Ryan Doumit. But the Braves will probably never need Gilmarten.

[msstate7]

This should put us over the top**

[FISHDAWG]

This should put us over the top**

over the top still stuck with Uggla & BJ Upton & no B-mac ? ..... I have a feeling they were lucky last year & it runs out this year ... hope I'm wrong but I just haven't seen any effort during the off season that says they are committed to winning it all

[msstate7]

over the top still stuck with Uggla & BJ Upton & no B-mac ? ..... I have a feeling they were lucky last year & it runs out this year ... hope I'm wrong but I just haven't seen any effort during the off season that says they are committed to winning it all

I'd like to see us add another starter, resign EoF, and LaStella, Pena, or pastornicky take over at second. Call me crazy, but I think bj bounces back strong this year. I also think Heyward and ff have MVP type years this season. Really banking on beachy being back 100% at this point.

[smootness]

over the top still stuck with Uggla & BJ Upton & no B-mac ? ..... I have a feeling they were lucky last year & it runs out this year ... hope I'm wrong but I just haven't seen any effort during the off season that says they are committed to winning it all

There's not much that can be done. The Braves have 5 capable, young SP who should all now be pitching in the majors, and they don't really have any open starting spots in the lineup. They could try to do something with BJ or Uggla (probably won't start him at 2nd) but considering the money owed both, there's not much that can be done with either and I'm sure they'll give BJ another shot as the starting CF this year. C is technically open, but with Gattis and Laird already on the roster, there isn't much room there, either.

And they have to leave room in the budget to try to sign the young guys to long-term deals eventually. There just isn't much that can be done in the way of big moves.

Plus, big moves recently have backfired for the Braves, and they haven't been real successful for anyone else, either. If you're going big in FA now in MLB, you're almost guaranteed to disappoint. They won 96 games with a very young team...I'm just fine with mostly standing pat. If you get the natural progression from guys like Simmons, Heyward, Freeman, Gattis, Minor, etc. and get BJ back closer to his career averages, they'll improve by not making any moves.

Chris Johnson is due to regress, as are bench guys like Ramiro Pena and Jordan Schafer. But Justin Upton could break out at 26 and have a better year as well. I don't get how the Braves were 'lucky' last year. Sure, Chris Johnson was way better than expected, and you did get some surprises on the bench. But there was just as much that didn't go the way they expected to think things will mostly even out.

A lineup of:

Heyward
J Upton
Freeman
Gattis
C Johnson
BJ Upton
Simmons
2B

is still formidable.

And the pitching staff should be just fine, barring injury:

Minor
Beachy
Teheran
Medlen
Wood
Gavin Floyd

Kimbrel
Walden
O'Flaherty back
one of hundreds of young power arms they keep trotting out

Losing McCann's presence in the lineup will hurt, but if either Heyward or Justin Upton can break out, they will more than make up for that.

[msstate7]

There's not much that can be done. The Braves have 5 capable, young SP who should all now be pitching in the majors, and they don't really have any open starting spots in the lineup. They could try to do something with BJ or Uggla (probably won't start him at 2nd) but considering the money owed both, there's not much that can be done with either and I'm sure they'll give BJ another shot as the starting CF this year. C is technically open, but with Gattis and Laird already on the roster, there isn't much room there, either.

And they have to leave room in the budget to try to sign the young guys to long-term deals eventually. There just isn't much that can be done in the way of big moves.

Plus, big moves recently have backfired for the Braves, and they haven't been real successful for anyone else, either. If you're going big in FA now in MLB, you're almost guaranteed to disappoint. They won 96 games with a very young team...I'm just fine with mostly standing pat. If you get the natural progression from guys like Simmons, Heyward, Freeman, Gattis, Minor, etc. and get BJ back closer to his career averages, they'll improve by not making any moves.

Chris Johnson is due to regress, as are bench guys like Ramiro Pena and Jordan Schafer. But Justin Upton could break out at 26 and have a better year as well. I don't get how the Braves were 'lucky' last year. Sure, Chris Johnson was way better than expected, and you did get some surprises on the bench. But there was just as much that didn't go the way they expected to think things will mostly even out.

A lineup of:

Heyward
J Upton
Freeman
Gattis
C Johnson
BJ Upton
Simmons
2B

is still formidable.

And the pitching staff should be just fine, barring injury:

Minor
Beachy
Teheran
Medlen
Wood
Gavin Floyd

Kimbrel
Walden
O'Flaherty back
one of hundreds of young power arms they keep trotting out

Losing McCann's presence in the lineup will hurt, but if either Heyward or Justin Upton can break out, they will more than make up for that.

Completely missed the Gavin Floyd deal. Alex wood seems to headed to bullpen which I like. Gavin and beachy coming off TJ is concerning...

[FISHDAWG]

I'd like to see us add another starter, resign EoF, and LaStella, Pena, or pastornicky take over at second. Call me crazy, but I think bj bounces back strong this year. I also think Heyward and ff have MVP type years this season. Really banking on beachy being back 100% at this point.

they just signed Beachy to a 1-yr deal

[BoomBoom]

Completely missed the Gavin Floyd deal. Alex wood seems to headed to bullpen which I like. Gavin and beachy coming off TJ is concerning...

Floyd wont be back until June or later. Wood will likely start to begin the season.