Braves Face Many Off-season Questions

The Atlanta Braves grabbed a piece of baseball history with their fifth straight trip to the postseason. Now comes a very important offseason, one that likely will determine if the Braves can become the first team to make it six in a row.

In addition to the usual personnel decisions, the Braves have to rebuild their psyche after a monumental World Series collapse against the New York Yankees, who took four straight games from Atlanta after losing the first two at home.

“Sure, it’s very frustrating and very saddening, because we know in our hearts that we have a team that was good enough to be world champions,” general manager John Schuerholz said. “But that’s the nature of this business.”

The top priority is re-signing 24-game winner John Smoltz, who may command near $7 million a year. But the Braves also face tough decisions in the outfield, which has five potential starters for next year, and must restructure a bench and middle relief corps that proved major weaknesses during the World Series.

The Braves have most of the tools needed to become the first team to make six straight postseason appearances, not counting 1994, when a strike canceled the playoffs.

They are young, they have a reliable closer in Mark Wohlers--despite the homer he gave up to Jim Leyritz in the World Series--and their starting pitching will remain strong even if Smoltz doesn’t return.

But re-signing Smoltz is paramount. The Braves’ success during the 1990s--five division titles, four National League pennants, one World Series championships--can be directly traced to the best four-man rotation in the game.

“I love Atlanta and I always envisioned playing for one team,” Smoltz said. “There’s no doubt this organization will get my utmost and honest attention. . . . But the process will work itself out.”

Schuerholz will evaluate his roster before he begins serious negotiations with Smoltz. Other teams may offer more money, but the Braves are hoping that Smoltz’s ties to Atlanta will be a major factor in their favor.

Schuerholz pointed to Fred McGriff and Marquis Grissom, both of whom signed long-term deals with Atlanta before this past season.

“In my opinion, they could have gotten more on the open market,” he said, “but they decided to stay in a winning program and a place where they’re very comfortable. Hopefully, other guys will feel the same way.”

The Braves also hope to resign second baseman Mark Lemke, a solid defensive player who is the only player to start during the last five postseasons.

Another vexing issue is the outfield, where three players--Ryan Klesko and rookies Andruw Jones and Jermaine Dye--shared two positions during the playoffs. Then there’s David Justice, who missed most of the season with a shoulder injury but should be ready by spring training.

Justice might be moved in a trade, but his health and hefty contract--more than $12 million over the next two years--will be major stumbling blocks to any deal.

The Braves could keep Justice and move Klesko to first base, which would force a trade of McGriff. And there continues to be speculation that the Braves are interested in San Francisco’s Barry Bonds, whose acquisition would force them to deal both Justice and McGriff in order to keep their payroll at just under $50 million.

The bench was exposed as a major weakness during the playoffs. After an 0-for-22 performance from the pinch-hitters, there’s no chance that Luis Polonia and Terry Pendleton will be back. Reserve infielder Rafael Belliard also is a free agent, and the Braves already had declined an option on outfielder Jerome Walton, who missed most of the season with a groin injury. The only members of the bench likely to return are infielder Mike Mordecai and catcher Eddie Perez.

If Smoltz is re-signed, the Braves’ four-man rotation is set. They aren’t likely to re-sign Steve Avery, a former starter who is only 26 but has struggled three years in a row. The midseason trade for Denny Neagle probably signaled the end of Avery’s tenure in Atlanta.

The bullpen, the team’s Achilles heel throughout the ‘90s, was a problem again during the World Series, even though the Braves do have one of the game’s best closers in Wohlers. He saved a team-record 39 games.

Middle relief is the main concern after Greg McMichael struggled badly both the NL championship series and in the World Series. Mike Bielecki had a surprisingly strong regular season and postseason, but he’s 37. Pedro Borbon isn’t likely to be back from a severe elbow injury by next year’s opening day.

Still, Schuerholz is confident the Braves can maintain their position as one of the best teams in baseball. The farm system continues to produce stars-in-the-making like the 19-year-old Jones, and owner Ted Turner’s pockets have gotten even deeper now that he’s merged his company with Time Warner.

“Can we be successful another six years? Yes,” Schuerholz said. “We’ve got balance and we’ve got a blend of good young players and some not-so-old veteran players.”

Plus, the Braves may have an extra bit of motivation after their crushing loss to the Yankees.

“We’ve got to go out and turn it up a notch and get ready for next year,” Grissom said, “so we can come on back and try to do this thing again.”