Welcome to the new age of Braves baseball!

Frank Wren went interactive Thursday and participated in a chat with Braves fans on the team's website. (I was there, but my questions were not answered, instead we got great questions such as, "Who was your favorite player growing up? THANKS WEBMASTER!) He touched on several topics, but of course could not talk about players currently on other teams’ rosters. He noted that the Jake Peavy trade is all but dead, saying that a discussion of giving Peavy a no-trade clause never came about because the talks never advanced that far.
Wren spoke highly of Tommy Hanson, the Braves pitching prospect that has been tearing up the Arizona Fall League. Wren said that Hanson will “show us” where he needs to pitch next season. It could be as early as late 2009 or the start of the 2010 when Hanson makes his debut. Suffice to say, Hanson will not start the upcoming year in the Braves rotation, but that the team has “a lot of ‘lines in the water,’” in regards to starting pitching.
As far as the lineup, Wren stated that the team has “an infield in place” and is still working on its outfield. He could not comment on certain trade targets, but did say that he would prefer a righthanded hitter opposed to a lefty because of the current lineup and the prospects in the minor league system all being lefties.
Finally Wren made it a point to say that the team is building for the very long haul, not just mortgaging the future for a run next season. If Smoltz and Glavine can come back, Wren says the team will adjust, but is going about its business right now like they won’t be back (from injury). He also thought the bullpen would be a strength of the 2009 Braves.