Feels like we're due for another big injury in, oh, about an hour. I was optimistic once this season, our offense was doing well and making things happen, Chipper was hitting .400 (no no, I never expected that to last), Jurrjens was doing great and it seemed liked we would compete with the mets and phillies. We barely can compete with the nationals. I'm just depressed over how the Mark Teixeira era went. Besides the big package given up for him (I'm still out on Saltalamacchia until he proves he's good for more than two strikeouts per game) and getting maybe half in return when he was dealt to the angels. I'm glad it wasn't the Arizona package, I think Kotchman will be better than Tracy and we get a stable defensive 1B at least. I just hope things start to change for next season.

We need to avoid pitchers with a history of injury. The Hampton thing, it didn't work out too well, even though he's back, he likely won't get back to his old self for awhile. Soriano and Gonzalez have never been healthy with us, they could do really well, but pinning hopes on guys who have vacation homes on the D.L. isn't encouraging. Smoltz is likely gone, Glavine should go, Moylan underwent Tommy John and that's where Hudson is going next. Really doesn't leave much for next season. You really can't replace Smoltz and Hudson easily, if at all, but there really needs to be work done. The mets, phillies, and marlins have too great of offenses to sit back on what we have. Naturally, when you mount up the injuries this team has suffered, you're not going anywhere. Look at Cleveland, prime example, suffered several key injuries early on and that practically set the tone for a terrible season. And it happens, it does, a handful of teams each year go through a barrage of injuries that essentially make the season a wash. There just wasn't enough pitching depth to survive.

Of course, we're really cheap now. Am I mad they let Andruw Jones go? Nah, but I thought it was fairly droll to fill centerfield with Mark Kotsay and Josh Anderson. Waste of time. But maybe Brandon Jones or Gregor Blanco are steps in the right direction, both have shown signs of being good. Francoeur worries me, I had read a lot of comments from the "experts" saying they expected a big year from Francoeur, instead he took a collusal step backwards. Teixeira is gone, someone has to provide some protection in the middle of the lineup. Yunel Escobar has been good, and I think has proven why Renteria was so expendable (of course, getting Jurrjens may have been one of the best moves they have made in years).

I hope something good happens in the off season, to stay competitive. Atlanta is not exactly a franchise that's went through a rebuilding process in recent memory (probably half the posters on the forums weren't even born when Atlanta was last being bad team).