The Atlanta Braves got rebuffed in a deal for Ryan Dempster. They are not looking higher with their sites on James Shields and Zack Greinke. The Braves’ willingness to deal Randall Delgado for Dempster means that they are not afraid to deal top prospects to get what they want. If the Braves missed out on Shields and Greinke, they will likely look smaller at guys like Francisco Liriano, Jason Vargas, Paul Maholm, Clayton Richard and Kevin Correia. I have little doubt that the Braves will improve their starting rotation in the next few days. The Braves are also likely looking for a short term fix at SS. Jamey Carroll and Yuniesky Betancourt both makes sense and they would likely come cheap prospect wise. It’s time for the Braves to ante up to compete for a playoff spot again in 2012.

The Braves need a starting pitcher badly. They could really use a lefty. With that in mind, I would think they would be targeting Wandy Rodriguez, Francisco Liriano, Jason Vargas, Paul Maholm or Clayton Richard. They could also target a back end type of pitcher if Randall Delgado and Mike Minor keep struggling. Guys like ex-Brave Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Guthrie could also be targets of the Braves as neither of them would likely come cheaply.

The Braves only have one big hole in the field right now and that is at shortstop. They only need minor tinkering to contend and with that in mind, here are the trio of free agents I would go after if I were running the team:

1. Yuniesky Betancourt - If the Braves decide to let Alex Gonzalez leave in free agency, Betancourt might be in their price range. He’s nowhere near the glove man that Gonzalez is, but he is a more consistent hitter.

2. Aaron Miles - The Braves could use a solid utility infielder and Miles fits the bill. He also would give the Braves solid insurance in case Chipper Jones goes down to injury.

3. Todd Coffey - The Braves could use a veteran righty for the bullpen and Todd Coffey would be a good fit to fill Scott Linebrink’s role from last year.

In a perfect world, the Braves would be able to deal for a new starting CF and a backup infielder who can handle playing 3B while Chipper Jones is out of action so that Martin Prado can return to LF. David DeJesus, B.J. Upton, Corey Patterson, Coco Crisp, Ryan Sweeney, Angel Pagan, Michael Bourn or Marlon Byrd would be nice upgrades in CF for the Braves. They are also looking at Carlos Beltran of the Mets, but it’s doubtful that he could handle playing CF defensively. Adam Kennedy, Omar Infante, Blake DeWitt, Aaron Miles, Jamey Carroll, Mike Aviles and Jeff Baker would be nice stopgap 3B who have the versatility to also help out at SS and 2B. A righty reliever with a good enough arm to pitch late in games is also a need for the Braves. Frank Francisco, Octavio Dotel, Jason Frasor, Jon Rauch, Koji Uehara, Michael Wuertz, Kerry Wood, Rafael Betancourt, Matt Lindstrom, Chad Qualls, Matt Guerrier, Mike Adams and Mike MacDougal would fit that requirement for the Braves. The Braves are in the lead in the Wild Card hunt, so they need to make moves to stay there or to overtake the Phillies in the A.L. East.

The Braves have great pitching but they could use a little help off the bench, so why not aim high. The Cubs are in a full blown salary dump mode. Outfielder Reed Johnson would be a perfect fit for the Braves because he can handle all three outfield spots. It would only probably take a middling pitching prospect like lefty reliever/starter Richard Sullivan to acquire Johnson, so I would do it. Heck, Johnson could wind up starting in CF for the Braves. The Dodgers are also in dump mode. Infielder Jamey Carroll could probably be had if the Braves offered the Dodgers lefty swinging outfield prospect Corey Harrilchak. If the Braves could add Johson and Carroll without giving up much prospect wise, they have to do it.

I think the Braves should be real aggressive at the trade deadline. They need to find a legit CF. I think they should be making calls to the A’s about Coco Crisp or David DeJesus and the Astros about Michael Bourn. CF has been a black hole for too long for the Atlanta Braves and if they want to make the playoffs, they need to improve there. I also think a veteran player or two for the bench would help them out. 1B/OF Conor Jackson, 2B/SS/3B Mike Aviles, 2B/SS Jerry Hairston, 2B Jeff Keppinger, 2B/SS/3B Jamey Carroll, OF Scott Hairston, OF Felix Pie and OF Chris Denorfia all make sense for the Braves. The Braves need to make a couple moves if they want to battle the Phillies for the N.L. East and the rest of the N.L. for the Wild Card in 2011.

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 Atlanta Braves could use a corner outfielder with power. I think a team like the Orioles would want quantity over quality in return for any of the veterans they have to deal. With that in mind I would offer 26-year old righty reliever Jesse Chavez, 26-year old lefty swinging outfielder Gregor Blanco and 26-year old righty swinging shortstop Diory Hernandez to the O’s for Luke Scott. Scott has a ton of power and he can play average defense in LF. None of the guys I would give the Orioles are in the long range plans of the Braves but they would all likely get to play a lot with the Orioles.

The Braves are sitting atop of the N.L. East with a 48-35 record which has them 2 games up on the Mets. To stay atop of the N.L. East the Braves are going to have to add a outfielder with some legit power. The Braves should aim big though as this is Bobby Cox’ swan song in Atlanta. Corey Hart and Cody Ross should be the top two targets of the Braves. Jose Bautista, Luke Scott, David DeJesus and Jose Guillen would likely also be solid options for the Braves. They definitely have the firepower prospect wise to make a deal to give them a great chance at winning the N.L. East so they need to make it happen.

The Braves have to make a move for a power hitting LF to help the offense and they can’t afford to wait for the trade deadline in July. I like the idea of offering Melky Cabrera and lefty reliever Jonny Venters to the Orioles for Luke Scott. Scott would give the Braves another big power bat in the middle of the batting order. I think that Cabrera would have a better chance of finding his bat again in the A.L. of which he is more familiar. While I don’t like the idea of giving up Venters you almost never get something for nothing in the major leagues.