Braves' veteran plan backfires

The Atlanta Braves' pitching struggles in 2008 will come to mind to any general manager who tries to turn back the clock with a ultra-veteran pitching staff.

Tom Glavine's season is over, and quite possibly his career if his elbow injury is worse than feared. He'll find out this week if his sore elbow needs Tommy John ligament transplant surgery or a more minor procedure. Glavine, 42, said he won't have the Tommy John surgery and return.

"By no means do I want to go through another year with what I’m going through now,” he said, according to Yahoo Sports. “But at the same time, I don’t think I want my career to end this way, either. I think that lends me to think I want to pitch next year. I think it’s easier to walk away if you can honestly tell yourself, you know what, I can’t do it anymore. And I don’t know that I can answer that question right now because my body hasn’t allowed me to do it this year as much I wanted to.”

Sounds a lot like what John Smoltz said back in June before he had shoulder surgery. With Glavine's injury, the top three Braves' pitchers all had their seasons end early. Tim Hudson will be out all of 2009 as well after Tommy John surgery.

The Braves would probably welcome Smoltz back. Glavine is a little more iffy, as he didn't pitch well this season (2-4, 5.54 ERA). Glavine's contract expires after this season, and with 305 career wins, his next stop might be Cooperstown.

With Glavine and Mike Hampton off the books, the Braves will have some money to spend in free agency. Atlanta's 2009 rotation will consist of Jair Jurrjens and four other pitchers, and nobody knows who they might be.

Don't expect them to all be veterans.