Last year’s offseason for the Atlanta Braves was filled with signings and extensions with the eye on the future. Atlanta’s roster was filled with young, major league ready talent making the 2014 season look promising when it comes to playoff contention in the National League. The Braves suffered some early injuries to the pitching staff but they were able to weather the storm. Atlanta was tied for 1st place in the division at the All-Star break with Washington; it was all downhill from there for the Braves. After finishing 17 games out of 1st place the Braves have made a bevy of changes in the front office as they look to reshape the team from top to bottom.

Guaranteed Contracts:

Freddie Costlessman, 1B: $127MM through 2021
Andrelton Simmons, SS: $56MM through 2020
B.J. Upton, CF: $46.35MM through 2017
Craig Kimbrel, RP: $34MM through 2017
Julio Teheran, SP: $30.6MM through 2019
Chris Johnson, 3B: $23.5MM through 2017
Justin Upton, LF: $14.5MM through 2015
Jason Heyward, RF: $8.3MM through 2015
Dan Uggla, 2B: $13.2MM through 2015

Arbitration Eligible Players: (projected salary via Matt Swartz)

Kris Medlen, SP: $5.8MM projected salary
Mike Minor, SP: $5.1MM projected salary
Jordan Walden, RP: $3.0MM projected salary
James Russell, RP: $2.4MM projected salary
Jonny Venters, RP: $1.63MM projected salary
Brandon Beachy, SP: $1.45MM projected salary
David Carpenter, RP: $1.1MM projected salary
Ramiro Pena, INF: $900K projected salary

Costless Agents:

Ervin Santana, Gavin Floyd, Aaron Harang, Ryan Doumit, Gerald Laird, Emilio Bonifacio

Just a year ago it seemed the Atlanta Braves had depth at every position and a young core that would be together for the foreseeable future. However, when you have a disastrous season the Braves endured things need to change throughout the organization, especially the personnel on the field. Atlanta can go in several directions but they will have to be creative in whatever plan they come up with because of the tight budget they have to work with.

The Braves biggest need this offseason is starting pitching. Now Atlanta’s pitching staff was very good as they finished the season 5th in MLB with a 3.38 ERA, but veteran starters Ervin Santana and Aaron Harang will be costless-agents. Both starters pitched very well for Atlanta and there is a chance neither one will return to the team. The Braves have come and said they will offer Santana a qualifying offer knowing that he will probably decline it so they can receive draft compensation from the team that signs him. You can pencil in three guys for Atlanta’s 2015 rotation: Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, and Mike Minor.

With Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy still recovering from Tommy John surgery Atlanta needs to go out and sign a couple dependable veterans, or make a trade for a top of the line starter to fill out the rotation. Potential costless-agent starters the Braves could target: Jake Peavy, Kyle Kendrick, Colby Lewis, Paul Maholm, and Ryan Vogelsong. Wouldn’t be surprised if Atlanta re-signed Harang, as the 36-year old right-hander threw over 200 innings and recorded his best ERA of his career.

Atlanta could look internally in regards to the rotation. David Hale was reliable as he made some spot starts throughout the season but was mainly used as the long-man in the bullpen. Triple-A pitcher Cody Martin had a nice season in the minors and if he performs well in spring training he could throw his name in the conversation for one of the spots.

The most interesting aspect of the Braves offseason is their ability to trade some of their established talent to improve in other areas. With top prospect Christian Bethancourt most likely being the everyday catcher come 2015, Evan Gattis has become available to trade. Gattis isn’t arbitration eligible making him very attractive to teams from a financial aspect. I’m sure most American League teams would be interested as he could be used as a catcher and a designated hitter. With the raw power Gattis possesses teams would be lining up for his services.

The biggest trade chip the Braves could use to receive a significant return would be either Justin Upton or Jason Heyward, who are both costless-agents after the 2015 season. The likelier of the two would be Justin Upton considering his overall offensive numbers is better than Heyward’s, and the fact Jason Heyward has more ties to Atlanta than Upton does. If Atlanta could pull off a blockbuster deal with one of these players Atlanta could receive a slew of players that could replenish the minor league pipeline and build for the 2017 season, or add a game changing player that could help the team in 2015.

I’m sure Braves president of baseball operations John Hart’s biggest offseason challenge is what to do with the struggling B.J. Upton. With three-years $46 million left on his contract it seems impossible for the Braves to trade him and get any value in return. Unless Atlanta has someone better lined up to takeover center field the Braves might have to bite the bullet and continue to play him every day and hope for a turnaround. One deal that could manifest itself is the bad-contract swap of B.J. Upton and Edwin Jackson, a deal which was talked about at the trade deadline and could be revisited again this offseason.

Atlanta’s infield is pretty set in stone with Freddie Costlessman and Andrelton Simmons locked up long term at first base and shortstop. The Braves are still under the cloud of former second baseman Dan Uggla, who is due $13 million this year and won’t play a single inning for them as he was released in the middle of the 2014 season. Tommy La Stella is the front runner for the everyday job but Braves prospect Jose Peraza might be competing for the job if he performs well in the spring. The only infielder that could possibly be dealt is third baseman Chris Johnson whose 2014 season was very underwhelming compared to his 2013 season where he competed for the batting title. It’s very unlikely Johnson will be dealt as his three-year extension kicks in this season and I’m not sure many teams would want that long-term commitment.

The Braves bullpen will probably stand pat as they have plenty of arms in house to make up a pretty strong bullpen. Craig Kimbrel is the anchor on the back end while Jordan Walden, David Carpenter, and James Russell cover the late innings bridging the gap for Kimbrel. Atlanta has always been able to fill out a bullpen with unknown arms that light up the radar gun. The only arm the Braves would go out and get to really improve the bullpen is left-hander Andrew Miller but the price tag might be too high for the Braves to bite.

Even with a disappointing 79-83 season the Braves have the talent to rebound and contend in the NL East. The problem is the Washington Nationals have put a strangle hold at the top of the division while the Miami Marlins and New York Mets are on the rise as they poses a bunch of  young talent especially when it comes to pitching.

Atlanta’s new brain trust in the front office has the tough task as they look to improve the team for next season while keeping an eye on the future in 2017 when their new ballpark opens. The Braves have financial constraints because of the long-term contracts Atlanta has given out over the last couple of years. The Braves new look front office will have to be creative when constructing the roster for next season. Expect to see a lot of wheeling and dealing this offseason for the Braves as they look to rebound for next year and be ready to contend in 2017.