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NL EAST
2) Atlanta Braves
General manager: Frank Wren
Manager: Bobby Cox (23rd season with Braves -- 19th season current tenure, 1,644-1,149; 27th overall, 2,255-1,764)
2007: 84-78, third place
Outlook: The John Schuerholz era is done, as Wren replaces his longtime mentor, and Wren's first move -- signing the aging Tom Glavine and handing the Mets the Braves' first-round draft pick in one fell swoop -- had to greatly please Mets fans. There just might not be enough here in any department. Then again, if everything falls right -- if Glavine and John Smoltz fight off Father Time, if Mike Hampton and Mark Kotsay stay healthy, if Jair Jurrjens becomes a legitimate starter and Yunel Escobar a legitimate shortstop, if the bullpen builds a bridge to Rafael Soriano -- and if the Mets can't find themselves, then the Braves might have something.
Parting shot: This is Cox's 23rd season (the 19th of his second tour) as Braves manager. Consider that the other four managers in this division have combined for eight seasons with their current clubs, and 11 total years of big-league managing.
Projected lineup
C: Brian McCann
1B: Mark Teixeira
2B: Kelly Johnson
SS: Yunel Escobar
3B: Chipper Jones
LF: Matt Diaz
CF: Mark Kotsay
RF: Jeff Francoeur
Projected rotation
John Smoltz
Tim Hudson
Tom Glavine
Mike Hampton
Jair Jurrjens
CL: Rafael Soriano
SU: Peter Moylan
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