The Atlanta Braves have 8 free agents heading into the winter. I think they already have a good idea as far as who they want to bring back. I am going to look into my crystal ball to see who stays and who goes:

Troy Glaus: 34-year old righty swinging 1B Troy Glaus started the season hot and ended it as cold as ice. Glaus played in 128 games for the Braves last season and he was 99 of 412 (.240 avg, .744 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 16 homers and 71 RBIs. VERDICT: I would let him walk.

Derek Lee: 35-year old righty swinging 1B Derek Lee played in 39 games for the Braves after coming over in the deal with the Cubs and he was 37 of 129 (.287 avg, .849 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 3 homers and 24 RBIs. Lee played in 148 games combined last season for the Cubs & Braves and he was 142 of 547 (.260 avg, .775 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 19 homers and 80 RBIs. VERDICT: I think Lee will get more money on the open market then the Braves will feel comfortable paying him. With that in mind I see them letting him walk.

Omar Infante: 28-year old righty swinging infielder Omar Infante had a career year for the Braves last season. He even made the N.L. All-Star team! Infante played in 134 games for the Braves last season and he was 151 of 471 (.321 avg, .775 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 8 homers, 47 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. The Braves have a $2.5 million dollar option on Infante for 2011 or they can buy him out for $250,000. VERDICT: The Braves will pick up Infante’s option.

Alex Gonzalez: 33-year old righty swinging shortstop Alex Gonzalez played in 72 games for the Braves after coming over in a deal with the Blue Jays and he was 64 for 267 (.240 avg, .677 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 6 homers and 38 RBIs. He played in 157 games overall for the Jays & Braves and he was 149 of 595 (.250 avg, .741 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 23 homers and 88 RBIs. The Braves have a club option for 2011 on Gonzalez valued at $2.5 million bucks. VERDICT: With his great mitt and solid power for a middle infielder I think it’s a no-brainer….the Braves should pick up the option.

David Ross: 33-year old righty swinging catcher David Ross has really played well for the Braves. He played in 59 games for the Braves last season and he was 35 of 121 (.289 avg, .871 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers and 28 RBIs. VERDICT: The Braves re-signed Ross during the year to a 2-year deal.

Rick Ankiel: 31-year old lefty swinging CF Rick Ankiel played in 47 games for the Braves after coming over in a deal with the Royals and he was 25 of 119 (.210 avg, .652 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 2 homers, 9 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He played in 74 games overall for the Royals & Braves last season and he was 49 for 211 (.232 avg, .710 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 6 homers, 24 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Braves have a $6 million dollar club option on Ankiel or they can buy him out for $500,000 bucks. VERDICT: I see the Braves paying Ankiel $500K to leave.

Eric Hinske: 33-year old lefty swinging LF/RF/1B/3B Eric Hinske played in 131 games for the Braves last season and he was 72 of 281 (.256 avg, .794 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 11 homers and 51 RBIs. VERDICT: The Braves should re-sign Hinske because of his versatility in the field and his power with the bat.

Kyle Farnsworth: 34-year old righty reliever Kyle Farnsworth pitched in 23 games (0 starts) for the Braves after coming over from the Royals. He pitched in 60 games (0 starts) for the Royals & Braves last season and he was 3-2 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. VERDICT: I would likely let Farnsworth walk.

The Braves have released 30-year old righty swinging catcher J.C. Boscan. Boscan got into the first game of his major league career in September and he was 0 for 0 with a walk and a run scored. Boscan definitely probably savored his first game in the majors after serving 14 years in the minors. He has played in 976 games in his minor league career and he is 712 of 3,134 (.227 avg, .629 OPS) with 303 runs scored, 40 homers, 348 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. The Braves won’t miss him too much in the future, if at all.

UPDATE: (11/29/2010) - The Atlanta Braves have re-signed J.C. Boscan to a minor league deal.

The Braves have released 26-year old switch hitting outfielder Melky Cabrera and 40-year old righty reliever Takashi Saito. Cabrera came over from the Yankees in the Javier Vazquez trade and he pretty much stunk it up for the Braves. Cabrera played in 147 games for the Braves last year and he was 117 of 458 (.255 avg, .671 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 4 homers, 42 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Some team will give Cabrera another chance but the Braves just didn’t like what they saw out of him in 2010. Takashi Saito was likely released only because he couldn’t stay healthy. Saito pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 2-3 with 1 save, a 2.83 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He only gave up 41 hits in 54 innings pitched last season while whiffing 69 batters showing just how effective he was last season. But, the Braves like their young relievers so they think they can’t afford to lose Saito.

The Braves didn’t wait long to ink 46-year old Fredi Gonzalez to replace the retired Bobby Cox as the new manager. He was signed to a 3-year deal with a option for a fourth year. Gonzalez coached under Cox so chances are that he will continue to do some things the same way as his old boss. Gonzalez compiled a 276-279 (49.7%) record in four years with the Florida Marlins which is pretty impressive when you consider that they never spend any cash on player payroll. That won’t be a problem for him with the Braves and I expect that he will do a really good job for them going forward.

Manager Bobby Cox appeared to have left starting pitcher Derek Lowe in just a little too long last night and it hurt the Braves in the end. Lowe was the losing pitcher after having worked the first 6 1/3 innings last night allowing only 2 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), walking 2 batters and whiffing 8. Lefty Jonny Venters gave up the big hit to Cody Ross in the bottom of the 7th on which Buster Posey scored the game winning run. Venters pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits and whiffing 2 batters. Rookie Craig Kimbrel worked a scoreless ninth inning giving the Braves a chance to come back in the bottom of the 9th inning but it just didn’t happen. Catcher Brian McCann was the hitting star for the Braves last night as he was 2 for 4 with 1 run scored, a homer and 2 RBIs. Rookie RF Jason Heyward pitched in with the bat as he was 2 for 4. The Braves lose this series 3-1.

This was a crushing defeat last night for the Braves. They scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning on a pinch hit homer by Eric Hinske which game the Braves a 2-1 lead. But rookie reliever Craig Kimbrel, Mike Dunn and Brooks Conrad conspired to give the game back to the Giants on a silver platter. Kimbrel worked 2/3 of an inning allowing 1 hit, 2 runs (1 earned), walked 1 batter and whiffed 1 as he earned the loss for the Braves. Mike Dunn replaced him and he gave up a hit to the only player he faced which didn’t help matters. But, Brooks Conrad was the biggest goat as he was 0 for 3 with a whiff and he made 3 errors on the night including the one that let the eventual game winning run score. Alex Gonzalez (1 for 3 with 1 run scored), Eric Hinske (1 for 1 with a 2-run homer) and Tim Hudson (1 for 2) were the hitting stars of the Braves in this game. Tim Hudson deserved better today as he worked the first 7 innings allowing 4 hits, 1 unearned run, 4 walks and 5 strikeouts. Rookie reliever Jonny Venters gave up 2 hits in only 1 inning while whiffing 3 after he followed Hudson in the game giving the Braves a chance to comeback which they almost did. The Braves are now down 2-1 in this series.

The Braves will be without closer Billy Wagner for the rest of the NLDS and the NLCS if the Braves make it that far. He strained his left oblique muscle in last night’s game against the Giants. Either Jair Jurrjens or Takashi Saito will replace Wagner on the roster. Craig Kimbrel, Jonny Venters or Takashi Saito will replace Wagner as the closer for the rest of this series and the next one if the Braves get by the Giants. This is a big blow to the Braves as Wagner has been nails for them at the end of games this year.

The Braves staged a big time comeback in this game as they scored 3 runs off Sergio Romo & Brian Wilson in the 8th inning and they are usually nails for the Giants. Then Rick Ankiel took Ramon Ramirez deep in the 11th inning to provide the Braves with the run they needed to win the game. Omar Infante (2 for 5), Derek Lee (2 for 5 with 2 runs scored) and Brian McCann (2 for 4 with 1 run scored and 1 RBI) had solid games for the Braves with the bat. But, Alex Gonzalez and Rick Ankiel were the heroes of the game with the bats for the Braves last night. Gonzalez was 1 for 5 with a double and 2 RBIs but it was his hit that tied the game in the 8th inning. Rick Ankiel was 2 for 5 with a solo homer in the 11th to seal the win for the Braves. Tommy Hanson drew the start for the Braves and the Giants were running up to the plate against him. Hanson pitched the first four innings last night and he gave up 5 hits and 4 earned runs while whiffing 5 batters and only walking 1. Mike Dunn, Jonny Venters, Peter Moylan and Craig Kimbrel combined to throw 5 shutout innings for the Braves allowing 3 hits, 0 walked and whiffing 8 batters as they were all outstanding. Billy Wagner pitched to two batters and he gave up one hit while getting out one batter. He had to leave the game after staining his left oblique muscle. Kyle Farnsworth replaced Wagner and he worked 1 2/3 innings of shutout ball to earn the win for the Braves. The Braves are tied up 1-1 in this series as it shifts back to Hotlanta.

The Giants just couldn’t mount any offense against Giants’ starting pitcher Tim Lincecum. He whiffed 14 batters while only allowing 2 hits in a complete game shutout. Omar Infante was 1 for 4 and Brian McCann was 1 for 3 and that was the extent of the Braves’ offense in this game. It ruined a outstanding effort by their own pitchers. Derek Lowe got the loss despite pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing only 1 earned run. Relievers Jonny Venters, Peter Moylan and Craig Kimbrel combined to throw 2 2/3 shutout innings to keep the Braves in this game until the very end. The Braves are now down 1-0 in this series.

This is a very interesting match-up. Bobby Cox is going to retire after this season so the Braves will be playing all out to send him out in style. The Giants have a veteran team in the field and a very good young pitching staff. Here is a breakdown of the positions in this series:

CATCHER: Brian McCann is one of the best catchers in all of baseball. He played in 143 games for the Braves this year and he was 129 of 479 (.269 avg, .828 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 21 homers, 77 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. McCann has also played in 3 games in his post season career and he is 3 of 16 (.188 avg, .750 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 2 homers and 5 RBIs.

Rookie Buster Posey was a impact player for the Giants. He played in 108 games for the Giants this year and he was 124 of 406 (.305 avg, .862 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 18 homers and 67 RBIs. It will be interesting to see how Posey handles the pressure of the playoffs but I think he will be fine.

EDGE: EVEN

FIRST BASE: Derek Lee gives the Braves a power bat with Gold Glove caliber D. Lee played in 148 games for the Cubs & Braves this year and he was 142 of 547 (.260 avg, .774 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 19 homers and 80 RBIs. He has played in 23 games in his post season career and he is 25 of 95 (.263 avg, .678 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer, 8 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.

Aubrey Huff has been waiting his whole career to play in the post season so we will see how he does. Huff played in 157 games for the Giants this year and he was 165 of 569 (.290 avg, .891 OPS) with 100 runs scored, 26 homers, 86 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.

EDGE: EVEN

SECOND BASE: A lot of people scalded Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel for picking Omar Infante to the All-Star team but no one can argue that he didn’t have a great year. Infante played in 134 games for the Braves this year and he was 151 of 471 (.321 avg, .775 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 8 homers, 47 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Infante has played in 2 games in his post season career and he is 1 for 3 (.333 avg, .833 OPS) with 1 RBI.

Freddy Sanchez is a scrappy player but his best days were when he was a Pirate. Sanchez played in 111 games for the Giants this year and he was 126 of 431 (.292 avg, .739 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 7 homers, 47 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sanchez steps up.

EDGE: EVEN

SHORTSTOP: Alex Gonzalez is a pretty solid all around shortstop as he’s good with the glove and he has some power. Gonzalez played in 157 games for the Blue Jays & Braves this year and he was 149 of 595 (.250, .741 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 23 homers and 88 RBIs. He has played in 20 games in his post season career and he is 11 off 68 (.162 avg, .450 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs.

Juan Uribe was a lifesaver for the Giants this year. He played in 148 games for the Giants this year and he was 129 of 521 (.248 avg, .750 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 24 homers and 85 RBIs. Uribe played in 16 games in the post season and he is 14 of 54 (.259 avg, .729 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer, 7 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.

EDGE: SLIGHT FOR GIANTS

THIRD BASE: Switch hitting Brooks Conrad will likely get the call here. He played in 103 games for the Braves this year and he was 39 of 156 (.250 avg, .811 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 8 homers, 33 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Don’t be surprised though if the Braves have been giving Troy Glaus a lot of grounders at 3B.

Switch hitting Pablo “Kung Fu Panda” Sandoval had a pretty weak year. He played in 152 games for the Giants this year and he was 151 of 563 (.268 avg, .732 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 13 homers, 63 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. This is a new season though so maybe Sandoval will step up and be the player he was in 2009.

EDGE: GIANTS

LEFT FIELD: Melky Cabrera, Matt Diaz or Eric Hinske could be out in LF in this series. Cabrera is the guy that will likely play the most though. He played in 147 games for the Braves this year and he was 117 of 458 (.255 avg, .671 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 4 homers, 42 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Cabrera has played in 19 games in the post season and he was 16 of 67 (.239 avg, .585 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs.

Pat Burrell was a godsend for the Giants as they probably wouldn’t have made the playoffs without him. Burrell played in 120 games for the Giants & Rays this year and he was 94 of 373 (.252 avg, .817 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 20 homers and 64 RBIs. He has played in 17 games in his pre-season career and he is 12 of 55 (.218 avg, .793 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 4 homers and 9 RBIs.

EDGE: GIANTS

CENTER FIELD: The Braves will either go with Rick Ankiel or Nate McLouth in CF in this series. McLouth played in 85 games for the Braves this year and he was 46 of 242 (.190 avg, .620 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 6 homers, 24 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Rick Ankiel played in 74 games for the Royals & Braves this year and he was 49 of 211 (.232 avg, .709 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 6 homers, 24 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has played in 5 games in his post season career and he is 0 for 3 with 2 whiffs.

Switch hitting Andres Torres has been a lifesaver in CF for the Giants this year. He has played in 139 games for the Giants and he is 136 of 507 (.268 avg, .822 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 16 homers, 63 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. Torres plays hard all the time and he’s a late bloomer so he might excel in the playoffs.

EDGE: GIANTS

RIGHT FIELD: Jason Heyward turned in a outstanding rookie year for the Braves. Heyward played in 142 games for the Braves and he was 144 of 520 (.277 avg, .849 OPS) with 83 runs scored, 18 homers, 72 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. It will be interesting to see if Heyward can step up or if he will be overmatched in this series.

Jose Guillen will be the starting RF in this series for the Giants. He played in 148 games for the Royals & Giants and he was 135 of 524 (.258 avg, .730 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 19 homers and 77 RBIs. Guillen has played in 4 games in his post season career and he is 5 of 11 (.455 avg, 1.117 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI.

EDGE: BRAVES

BENCH: Both of these benches are loaded with veteran players who can impact this series. David Ross is one of the best backup catchers in baseball. Eric Hinske, Troy Glaus and Matt Diaz give the Braves a lot of quality bench players and they all have power.

The Giants have Mike Fontenot, Edgar Renteria, Aaron Rowand, Travis Ishikawa and Cody Ross on the bench. Catcher Eli Whiteside will back up Buster Posey but he won’t play unless the rookie gets hurt.

EDGE: EVEN

STARTING PITCHING: The Braves could have some issues here as they needed Tim Hudson to pitch late in the season to get them into the playoffs meaning that he won’t be starting until Game #3 in Atlanta. Hudson started 34 games for the Braves this year and he was 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has also pitched in 9 games (8 starts) in his post season career and he is 1-3 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Although the Braves tried like heck to trade Derek Lowe all winter (they dealt Javier Vazquez instead) but he will now be pitching in Game #1 tonight. Lowe pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Braves this year and he was 16-12 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Lowe pitched in 21 games (10 starts) in his post season career and he is 5-5 with 1 save, a 3.33 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Second year man Tommy Hanson will be #2 in line for the Braves in this series. He started 34 games for the Braves this year and he was 10-11 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Hanson has potential to dominate because his stuff is as good as anyone else in this series. If the Braves need a #4 starter they will turn to rookie righty Brandon Beachy. Beachy started 3 games this year for the Braves and he was 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP.

Tim Lincecum won the Cy Young Award in 2008+2009 but he hasn’t looked the same this year. Lincecum started 33 games for the Giants this year and he was 16-10 with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He still has been pretty dominant as he has whiffed 231 batters in 212 1/3 innings this year while only giving up 194 hits. Matt Cain will be starting Game #2 in this series and he is pretty darn good in his own right. Cain started 33 games for the Giants this year and he was 13-11 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Lefty Jonathan Sanchez really stepped up for the Giants this year. He pitched in 34 games (33 starts) for the Giants this year and he was 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Sanchez only has given up 142 hits in 193 1/3 innings this year and he has 205 whiffs showing what kind of stuff he has. Rookie lefty Madison Bumgarner will be the #4 starter if the Giants need one. Bumgarner has started 18 games for the Giants this year and he was 7-6 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.

EDGE: GIANTS

CLOSER: Lefty Billy Wagner is going to retire at the end of this year along with Bobby Cox. He pitched in 71 games for the Braves this year and he was 7-2 with 37 saves, a 1.43 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. Wagner has only given up 38 hits in 69 1/3 innings this year and he whiffed 104 batters showing that he still has great stuff. But, Wagner has had a awful time in the post season in his career to date. Wagner has pitched in 13 games (0 starts) in the post season and he is 1-1 with 3 saves, a 10.32 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP.

Righty Brian Wilson has graduated to the top class of closer this year. Wilson pitched in 70 games for the Giants this year and he is 3-3 with 48 saves, a 1.81 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Wilson whiffed 93 batters in 74 2/3 innings this year while allowing only 62 hits as he has been dominating this year.

EDGE: EVEN

BULLPEN: The Braves bullpen has been depleted by injuries to lefty Eric O’Flaherty and righty Takashi Saito but they still have talent. Rookies Craig Kimbel and Jonny Venters could wind up being the top set up men in this series for the Braves. Righty Kimbel has been outstanding this year. Kimbel has pitched in 21 games for the Braves so far this year and he is 4-0 with 1 save, a 0.44 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has control issues with 16 walks in only 20 2/3 innings but he has only given up 9 hits while whiffing 40 batters showing just what kind of stuff he has. Lefty Jonny Venters has also been incredible. He pitched in 79 games this year and he was 4-4 with 1 save, a 1.95 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has only given up 61 hits in 83 innings pitched while whiffing 93 batters which is pretty darn good. Righty Peter Moylan has been a horse in the pen for the Braves this year. Moylan has pitched in 85 games in which he is 6-2 with 1 save, a 2.97 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Righty Kyle Farnsworth has incredible stuff but he hasn’t ever really turned it into the kind of results he should have. Farnsworth has pitched in 60 games for the Royals & Braves this year and he is 3-2 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has pitched in 13 games in the post season and he is 0-0 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Lefty Mike Dunn is another lefty with really good stuff on the Braves. Dunn has pitched in 25 games for the Braves this year and he is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP.

The San Francisco Giants have too many pitchers for the pen so some guys are going to be left off the roster. If I had to guess lefty Dan Runzler and righty Guillermo Mota would get left off the roster. Righty Sergio Romo has been the Giants’ top set-up man all year long so look for that to remain his role in the playoffs. Romo pitched in 68 games for the Giants this year and he was 5-3 with a 2.18 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Ramon Ramirez will also likely be working late in games for the Giants in this series. He pitched in 69 games for the Red Sox & Giants this year and he was 1-3 with 3 saves, a 2.99 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Javier Lopez will likely be the situational lefty for the Giants in this series. He has pitched in 77 games (0 starts) for the Pirates & Giants this year and he is 4-2 with a 2.34 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Lefty Jeremy Affeldt is ready to go after missing a big chunk of the year and he has better stuff than Javier Lopez. Affeldt pitched in 53 games for the Giants this year and he was 4-3 with 4 saves, a 4.14 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. Affeldt has pitched in 7 games in his post season career and he is 0-0 with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. Righty Santiago Casilla came out of nowhere to dominate in the pen for the Giants. Casilla pitched in 52 games for the Giants this year and he is 7-2 with 2 saves, a 1.95 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Chris Ray is also a power righty in the pen for the Giants. He pitched in 63 games (0 starts) with the Giants & Rangers and he is 5-0 with 2 saves, a 3.72 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.

EDGE: EVEN

MANAGER: Bobby Cox is a Hall of Fame Manager and this post season is his swan song. He has a career record in the post season of 66-66 (50%) but he has won one World Series (1995). Cox has a career record during the regular season of 2,504-2,001 (55.6%). I just have a feeling that Cox is going to motivate his team in this series because he is a winner and he wants to go out in style.

Bruce Bochy is a tough guy who was a catcher when he played. But, he has a 1,274-1,300 (49.5%) record during the regular season in his major league career as a manager. Bochy has often appeared overmatched during the post season as he sports a 8-16 record (33.3%).

EDGE: BRAVES

PREDICTION: I think this series is going to go back and forth but in the end I like the Braves in five games.