ATLANTA -- Over the past decade, a number of preseason prognosticators had said the streak would have to end before they ever found reason to pick somebody other than the Braves to win the National League East.
Well, now that the streak of 14 consecutive division titles has come to a close for the Braves, these same prognosticators will have to use a little more than history when evaluating what the Braves will do.
When one looks at the team the Braves will take into the 2007 season, they'll see a capable offense and a starting rotation that has potential to be one of the NL's finest. But most importantly, they'll see that the bullpen, which proved so destructive in 2006, has assumed a seemingly improved look.
Unlike last year, when they hoped a number of unproven arms would provide late-inning reliability, the Braves enter 2007 feeling confident about their bullpen. Bob Wickman, who brought some sanity for the final two months of the 2006 season, returns to serve as the closer and the recently acquired Rafael Soriano comes to Atlanta with some believing that he could be one of the game's top right-handed middle men.
Take into account that Tyler Yates and Macay McBride have matured through last year's struggles and it's quite obvious that this bullpen is much different than the one that blew 29 of 67 save opportunities last year.
"We scored plenty of runs to win the division," said manager Bobby Cox, thinking back to the 2006 season in which his team scored the second-most runs in the NL. "We just didn't hold people late in the game."
Last year's bullpen struggles may have prevented John Smoltz from capturing his second NL Cy Young Award. His 16-win season came despite the fact that the relief corps blew six of the leads that he handed them.
With Smoltz back and Mike Hampton returning from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, the Braves starting rotation consists of three former 20-game winners. Rounding out that trio is Tim Hudson, who coming off two mediocre seasons, has committed himself to proving he can return to his successful ways of the past.
Adding to the rotation's strength will be the return of Chuck James, who proved to be one of the game's top rookie pitchers for the final three months of the 2006 season. He'll likely team with Kyle Davies to provide the rotation with what the Braves hope will prove to be solid depth.
It appears the Braves will once again enter this season without a legitimate leadoff hitter. But because of the success they enjoyed last year, they don't believe this will prove to be a detriment to their offense, which will once again be powered by the presence of Andruw Jones.
With this quite possibly being Jones' final year with the Braves, he'll be looking to compile the big numbers necessary to assure the big payday he'll receive via free agency. His production will improve if Chipper Jones is finally able to avoid the health problems that have sidelined him for a majority of the previous two seasons.
This lineup will also be strengthened by the returns of Edgar Renteria, Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur. Entering what will be their second full big-league seasons, Francoeur and McCann should continue to show the maturity that could enable them to be considered among the game's elite players.
"I really like our team," Cox said. "If we can stay healthy, we've got a chance to win a lot of games."
Offseason report card: While he hasn't made a lot of noise on the transaction front, it's been obvious that Braves general manager John Schuerholz has been working hard to finalize a number of trades. By acquiring Soriano from the Mariners for Horacio Ramirez, he was able to make an economically wise and significant improvement to his bullpen. Schuerholz's task of building a championship-caliber roster within the constraints of an $80 million payroll has been rather daunting. With the high prices on this year's free agent market, he's been forced to solely focus on the trade market. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to find much interest for Marcus Giles and subsequently had to release the former All-Star without the benefit of compensation. But for the most part, he's been able to improve his team without having to lose any of this top assets.
Arrivals: RHP Rafael Soriano, RHP Tanyon Sturtze
Departures: 2B Marcus Giles, RHP John Thomson, LHP Horacio Ramirez, C Todd Pratt, 1B/OF Brian Jordan, RHP Chris Reitsma, 1B Daryle Ward, RHP Danys Baez
The road ahead: If the three veteran starters stay healthy and at least come close to expectations, there's no reason the Braves can't once again win the division. Chipper Jones' ability to stay healthy will once again be a major factor to the success the Braves find as they attempt to prove capable of rebounding from their first losing season since 1990.