By Bud L. Ellis
budmansbravesbeat.mlblogs.com

ATLANTA
– Say this for Frank Wren: the man has guts.

The Braves GM is the talk of baseball this morning, one day
after a dizzying flurry of late-afternoon moves resulted in the departure of a
franchise icon and future Hall of Famer, the promotion of the organization’s
most ballyhooed prospect in years, and the acquisition of a player who
addresses the team’s most glaring needs.

Taken as singular events, the release of Tom Glavine, the
promotion of Tommy Hanson, or the trade for Nate McLouth would be attention-grabbing
transactions. But all three in one day? That’s a seismic shift, one that
changes the perceptions of this team, and the man calling the shots.

Heading into last season, Braves Nation was all aflutter
about the reunion of Glavine and John Smoltz in the starting rotation. We all
know how that sad story played out: Both missed significant time with injuries
(as did Mike Hampton – no surprise there – and Tim Hudson – quite a surprise),
helping to torch the rotation and plunge the Braves to their first 90-loss
season since 1990.

Smoltz signed with Boston
in the offseason, and Braves fans crucified Wren for not guaranteeing more
money to a pitcher who threw just 28 innings the year before, one coming off
his fifth major surgical procedure. I wrote the day Smoltz left it was a
difficult decision, but the right decision to make.

I feel the same about Glavine.

If indeed there are concerns about velocity and pitch
location, the Braves would be doing themselves a disservice by thinking Glavine
could help them win. This coming from somebody who watched with his own two
eyes as Glavine threw eight shutout, one-hit innings to win Game 6 of the World
Series in 1995.

That was 14 years ago. The goal is not to wax poetic about
years gone by; it’s about adding to those memories by making the playoffs this
season. There comes a time where even future Hall of Famers don’t have it
anymore (Steve Carlton, anyone? Fifty earned runs and 12 homers allowed in his
final 52 2/3 innings), and Wren and Co.
believe that time has come for Glavine.

Of course, it’s a little easier to make such a move when you
can plug in a 22-year-old who throws a wicked slider, a 99 mph fastball, and
who has dominated at Triple-A. It’s never been a question of if Hanson would be
promoted this season, but when. After striking out 90 hitters in 66 1/3 innings
pitched for Gwinnett, with just 11 earned runs allowed, his time has arrived.
The right-hander gets the nod Saturday night against Milwaukee at Turner Field.

It’s a bold move, thrusting a rookie hurler into the mix
with so much riding on the line – the Braves open play today six games in
arrears of Philly in the loss column – but Hanson isn’t your average rookie.
There hasn’t been a young arm come through the Braves’ farm system generating this
much buzz since Steve Avery. There is nothing left for Hanson to prove in the
minors, and the big-league Braves need Hanson in the rotation (and for that
matter, need the impressive Kris Medlen to bolster the set-up guys in the
bullpen).

Pitching hasn’t been the Braves’ problem, though (thanks
largely to moves made by Wren the past two years: signing Derek Lowe, trading
for Jair Jurrjens and Javier Vazquez). Offensive production – or rather, an
offensive excuse for outfield production – has been. Once again, Wren moved
with bold and daring strokes. Tuesday, he sent the promising, yet overmatched,
Jordan Schafer to Gwinnett. One day later, he filled the black hole in center
by shipping three prospects to Pittsburgh
for McLouth, a Gold Glover who does two things – hit for power and steal bases
– the Braves sorely need.

To get a player who hit 26 homers, 46 doubles (tops in the
NL) and stole 23-of-26 bases last season WITHOUT giving up any of the team’s
top prospects – Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez, and Jeff Locke aren’t in the
class of Hanson, Medlen, Jason Heyward or Freddie Freeman – is a steal. This
isn’t Wren renting a player for two months or a season and a half, either. At
27 years old and locked up through 2011 (with a club option for 2012), McLouth
becomes a key part of this team’s foundation for the foreseeable future.

The timing of the deal, pulling the trigger in the first
week of June, shows Wren was not willing to watch the Braves’ offense languish
any longer. Instead of hoping Glavine could turn back the clock, hoping Jeff
Francoeur would remember to hit, hoping Gregor Blanco could add something
offensively to the outfield, Wren eschewed relying on hope and went to work on
fixing his team.

It would’ve been easy to stand pat, to trot Glavine out for
a farewell tour, to hold off promoting Hanson, to hope the current cast of
outfielders would hit. But Wren knew something had to be done.

Give him credit for having the guts to act.

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