Braves general manager Frank Wren has said he does not need to make a significant trade this winter.   But scouts and executives from other Major League clubs are still getting a sense either Jair Jurrjens or Martin Prado will be moved.

Jurrjens would provide the more significant return, especially after C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle are no longer free-agent options for pitching-hungry teams.    Right now, some potential suitors believe the Braves are asking for too much in return for the right-handed pitcher.

With fewer options available for these clubs to fill their respective starting rotations, teams might be willing to provide more for Jurrjens.

There are a number of clubs concerned about Jurrjens’ durability.  His right knee has prevented him from pitching down the stretch during both of the past two seasons.   But he did provide himself and the Braves some confidence when he threw five strong innings while wearing a knee brace during an Instructional League game one day after this year’s regular season concluded.

By moving Jurrjens or Prado, the Braves would gain approximately $5 million worth of payroll flexibility.  But Wren has continued to stress that he does not have to make a trade for payroll purposes.

When the Braves hired Scott Fletcher to serve as an on-site  advance scout/assistant hitting coach, they revealed they would no longer employ an traditional advance scout who would travel to various cities to create reports on upcoming opponents.   This raised some eyebrows considering they had just hired highly-regarded Bob Johnson to fill this role one year earlier.

The Braves are simply following the lead of a handful of other clubs who have already adopted this method of having their advance scout remain with their own Major League club and prepare for upcoming opponents via video.

But according to a National League scout, this decision was also seemingly influenced by the fact that Johnson’s traditional way of compiling reports did not provide  manager Fredi Gonzalez what he was seeking in his advance reports.

Fortunately for the Braves, Johnson decided to stay with the organization to serve as a professional scout, who will monitor a handful of other organizations.   The veteran scout remains one of the more respected individuals in his profession.

Good to hear  J.J. Picollo is among the top candidates to become the Astros next general manager.  Picollo spent seven years in the Braves player development department before following Royals general manager Dayton Moore to Kansas City.

Braves general manager Frank Wren confirmed adding  a power-hitting outfielder remains on his wish list.  But while meeting with a small group of reporters Monday afternoon, he said his only true roster need is to find a backup shortstop.

The Braves would like to add a veteran to serve as a backup infielder and provide insurance in the event that Tyler Pastornicky proves he is not ready to serve as Atlanta’s starting shortstop.   Their free agent targets include Nick Punto and Ronny Cedeno.

Jack Wilson’s offensive woes hurt his candidacy and Edgar Renteria is no longer deemed durable enough to serve as an insurance option who might have to  play on regular basis.

“We feel like we do have a 95-win team,” Wren said. “When you have a 95-win team, you don’t look to do a lot.  You look for guys to maybe bounce back from whatever held them back the year before or fine tune. We’re still in that mode.

“If we did nothing more than sign a backup shortstop, we feel really good about our team going into Spring Training.”

If the Braves make a significant acquisition, they will likely do so via a trade involving either Jair Jurrjens or Martin Prado.  But as the first day of this year’s Winter Meetings neared its end Monday, it remained unclear whether the Braves will move either of these players.

CBS Sports.com’s Jon Heyman tweeted that Reds were showing interest in Jurrjens.  But it does not appear the Reds have shown any interest in the right-handed pitcher.

Nothing has really changed in relation to Prado and Jurrjens.  The Braves are only going to move them if they are gaining a significant return.

“There’s an adrenaline rush to making a deal,” Wren said. “But the bottom line is, does it make us better? We’re not going to make a deal just to make a splash at home.  We’re not going to make a deal just to make a deal.  We’re looking to get better.  We’ve identified some areas where we think we can get better and that’s our whole goal here.”

The Braves arrived in Dallas prepared to be busy during this year’s Winter Meetings. But as the opening hours progressed Monday morning, it was still unclear what they might do.

There is certainly still reason to believe rumors and buzz will develop regarding potential trades of Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado. Multiple teams have shown interest in these players and the Braves might be willing to work a deal if receiving a significant return.

There have been many discussions regarding whether the Braves should be reluctant to trade Jurrjens when there is some uncertainty surrounding Tommy Hanson’s shoulder.

Now there are also questions surrounding Tim Hudson.

When Hudson underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back last week, Braves general manager Frank Wren said early reports indicated Hudson will be ready at the start of Spring Training.

But a Major League source said Monday morning that Hudson has told some close friends that he is not confident he is not sure he will be ready to be in the starting rotation at the start of the regular season.

Because there is impressive starting pitching depth with the likes of Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado and Kris Medlen, the Braves could certainly get by with Hudson missing a few weeks or the first month.

But Hudson’s situation seemingly provides even more reason for the Braves to be hesitant about dealing Jurrjens, even if the return is significant.

Braves general manager Frank Wren and his staff will likely be quite busy during next week’s Winter Meetings in Dallas.  But instead of shopping to fill specific needs, they will likely spend much of their time listening to trade offers for Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado.

The Braves entered this offseason looking to find a replacement for free agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez and exploring the possibility of adding a power-hitting outfielder. They believe they could acquire the kind of impact outfielder they are seeking via the significant returns they will request from any club interested in dealing for Jurrjens or Prado.

As for the shortstop position, it seems like the Braves would be content to enter Spring Training with Tyler Pastornicky projected to handle the role.  They are currently looking to sign a veteran like Jack Wilson or Edgar Renteria to serve as a backup and provide insurance in the event that Pastornicky is not ready.

With Pastornicky and Andrelton Simmons in their system, the Braves are not looking to make a long-term commitment to a veteran shortstop.  Simmons, who is considered one of the game’s top defensive shortstop prospects, might be ready to make the jump to the Majors after the All-Star break.

While it will certainly be interesting to see if the Braves do indeed enter the upcoming season with Pastornicky as their starting shortstop, next week’s attention will primarily center around Jurrjens and Prado.

Over the past month it has become even more apparent that Wren has told all interested teams that they will have to provide a significant return to get either Jurrjens or Prado.

The demand for Jurrjens will likely increase once C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle, this year’s top free-agent starting pitchers, decide where they will be pitching next year. The Rangers, Yankees, Marlins are among the teams that are expected to talk to the Braves about Jurrjens.

While the Phillies have upgraded their bench with a couple acquisitions (Jim Thome and Ty Wigginton), the Marlins have spent the past couple weeks supposedly courting every top-tier athlete, including Aaron Rodgers and Sidney Crosby.

Seems like they’re trying to form one of those Dream Teams in Miami. Oh yeah.  That’s right they already did that in that other sport.

Since we’re on the subject of LeBron James, I was dumfounded this morning as I watched ESPN’s First Take and actually heard them debate whether Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew crossed the line when he scored a touchdown and then mimicked the “powder toss” James performed back when he was playing games.

Seriously?

Yeah, I understand the hatred the city of Cleveland still has for James.  But what happened to that once feared group of fans that inhabited that intimidating zone known as The Dawg Pound?

I know.  You don’t care.  You’re much more concerned about what might happen to Martin Prado and Jair Jurrjens.

Truthfully not much has changed regarding either of these players.  Both are obviously drawing interest from a number of teams.  But the Braves have made it known they will need to receive a significant return to trade either Prado or Jurrjens.

Since this past season concluded, I have often referred to Prado and Jurrjens  as the Braves “most tradeable” veterans.  In other words, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann, Dan Uggla and none of the young pitching prospects are going anywhere.

So if the Braves are going to at least explore the possibility of improving their roster via the trade market, Prado and Jurrjens are the players that arguably make sense.

But I would be among those who would argue that the Braves are not currently in a position where they can comfortably deal Jurrjens.

Tommy Hanson’s shoulder might never again bother him.  But with the projected rotation already including Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor, the Braves can’t afford to trade Jurrjens and then deal with the consequences if Hanson’s shoulder proves to be a lingering problem.

Yeah, Kris Medlen’s presence provides some insurance in this department.  But once again, you’d be taking a gamble here on Medlen, who has not started a game since he blew out his elbow in August of 2010.

As the Rockies, Royals and Tigers have proven, there are a number of teams that would love to add Prado’s versatility to their roster.  At the same time, the Braves could certainly benefit from keeping him around for at least another season.

There’s no doubt that Chipper Jones could continue to benefit from the opportunity to get some regular rest.  Having Prado around to play third base would allow manager Fredi Gonzalez to allow Jones to get a breather whenever necessary.

But with the right deal, it would be much easier for the Braves to find a versatile asset like Prado than it would be to find a starting pitcher that they could immediately place in their starting rotation with confidence.

Quick hits:

As you likely saw from this weekend’s story, Jason Heyward is looking forward to entering the 2012 season feeling a little lighter.  With the help of a better diet and workout program, he now weighs between 235-240 pounds.  He weighed 258 pounds at the start of Spring Training.

Heyward certainly never looked overweight.  But with his shoulders looking a little less bulky, he looks a little more athletic.  More importantly, he’s excited about putting this past year behind him.  Check the story for his thoughts about his shoulder and  not playing an everyday role down the stretch.

Congrats to Joe Terdoslavich and Christian Bethancourt for being named to this year’s Arizona Fall League Top Prospects team.  Check out the details by clicking here.

Follow me on Twitter @mlbbowman

The Braves gained some financial flexibility by trading Derek Lowe to the Indians earlier this week.  They are now exploring the possibility of gaining more flexibility while talking to clubs interested in trading for Jair Jurrjens and/or Martin Prado.

A Major League source said the Braves have informed some teams they might be willing to trade Jurrjens and Prado.  Both players could see their respective salaries rise from the $3 million range to the $5 million range through arbitration this offseason.  <p>

The additional funds gained by trading Jurrjens or Prado would aid Braves general manager Frank Wren in his search to land a shortstop and add some more power to his outfield.

The Royals are among the teams the Braves have approached about Jurrjens.  The Braves are interested in a number of Kansas City’s highly-regarded young prospects, including outfielder Wil Myers, who has spent the past few weeks impressing in the Arizona Fall League.   <p>

Along with Myers, the Braves have also talked to the Royals about Lorenzo Cain.  With centerfielder Michael Bourn’s contract set to expire at the end of the 2012 season, the Braves will spend time this winter looking at  Cain and other similar players who could serve as Bourn’s replacement.

There are concerns surrounding Jurrjens (right knee) and Prado as they come off disappointing seasons.  At the same time, there is reason to wonder if the Braves can comfortably part ways with either of these players.

With uncertainty surrounding Tommy Hanson’s shoulder can the Braves remove Jurrjens from a rotation that is already projected to include two pitchers with less than two full seasons of experience.

Prado might not stand as the long-term replacement for Chipper Jones at third base.  But if he is traded, the Braves will certainly have  to find a reliable backup third baseman for the upcoming season.

Check MLB.com and braves.com later for a more detailed story.

With Derek Lowe’s tenure in Atlanta now complete, it’s still obvious that the Braves were fortunate that Jake Peavy opted not to accept a trade that would have allowed him to play close to his family and friends in Alabama.

And some of you might be of the opinion that the Braves were fortunate that there was not a Bullet Train available to conveniently transport A.J. Burnett’s wife back and forth between Atlanta and the family’s Baltimore-area home.

Once Peavy refused to waive his no-trade clause in San Diego and once Burnett opted to take the extra millions the Yankees were offering, the Braves suddenly found an  interest in Lowe. (Yes, you’ve since heard Lowe was at the top of the wish list all along.  And over the next few weeks, you will also once again start hearing about that Santa dude)

Because it’s fresh, some of you regard the four-year, $60 million contract given to Lowe as one of the worst ever provided by the Braves.   This is  a short-sighted belief.  In fact, it wasn’t even the worst contract the organization presented a pitcher within the first two weeks of 2009.  That distinction goes to the piece of paper that made Kenshin Kawakami $23 million richer over the past three years.

Kawakami spent this past summer living the American Dream at the Minor League level and doing his part to spark the Pearl, Miss. economy with the last of the dollars the Braves provided him to go 8-20 with a 4.30 ERA in 41 starts over two Major League seasons.

The Braves  paid Kawakami $2.875 million per win, $94,391 per inning and $560,975 per start.

With the $55 million they ended up giving Lowe, the Braves paid $1.375 million per win, $95,569 per inning and $544,554 per start.

Their respective costs per inning and per start were eerily similar.  But that is where the comparisons should end.  Kawakami will be remembered as the guy who struggled to get run support, but ended up outdueling both Roy Halladay and Clayton Kershaw during the 2009 summer.

Lowe will be remembered (and cursed) for many things, including the fact that the Braves would have never made the playoffs had he not gone 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA in his final five starts of the 2010 season.  Of course they also might have made the playoffs had he not gone 0-5 with an 8.75 ERA in his final five starts this year.

But had either Tommy Hanson or Jair Jurrjens been healthy to pitch the last month of this past season, there’s a pretty good chance Lowe would not have still been a part of the rotation during what proved to be a disastrous September.

Now three years later, those who criticized Wren’s decision to give Lowe a four-year deal find themselves patting themselves on the back and saying, “Told you so.”

It’s very easy to now criticize Wren’s decision to sign both Lowe and Kawakami. But it’s much easier to understand his reasoning once you account for all of the unexpected obstacles he encountered dating back to the early days of the 2008 season.

Truth be told, Lowe exited the 2008 season with the assumption that he would not get anything more than a three-year deal.  In fact, he was not happy when his agent Scott Boras began asking clubs for at least a four-year deal.    The pitcher felt this would just scare teams away.  The agent knew the desire to win would eventually lead one team to provide a guaranteed fourth year to a 35-year-old pitcher.

Fortunately for Boras,  he brought Lowe to Atlanta when Wren found himself six weeks from the start of Spring Training and with the desire to add two more experienced pitchers to his rotation. This was a product of the disastrous 2008 season during which the pitching staff was severely damaged by injuries and disappointing developments.

Wren had no idea that John Smoltz’s shoulder was going to blow out in April of ’08.  Nor did he know that Jo-Jo Reyes and Charlie Morton would both provide less reason for confidence as the season progress.  But the crushing blow came in late July when Tim Hudson blew out his elbow and learned he would miss most of 2009 rehabbing form Tommy John surgery.

This led Wren to exit the 2008 season with Jurrjens as the only pitcher he knew would be part of his team’s rotation to start the 2009 season.   Jurrjens was coming off a 13-win rookie season.

Wren’s most valuable acquisition during that offseason was Vazquez, who along with Boone Logan was acquired from the White Sox in exchange for Brent Lillibridge, Tyler Flowers and two other prospects.  This is a trade the Braves likely could not have made had they already used Tommy Hanson, Yunel Escobar or possibly some of these same prospects to land Peavy, who had been pursued in November.

The White Sox trade is still providing potential dividends.  The Braves sent Vazquez and Logan to the Yankees the following winter to acquire Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino, who has a chance to be a productive member of the Atlanta bullpen for many years to come.  Dunn was part of last winter’s trade that brought Dan Uggla to Atlanta.

Considering he has totaled 51 starts over the past three seasons, the injury-plagued Peavy would have been a far more damaging acquisition than Lowe or even the much-cheaper Kawakami.   From a prospect standpoint, the price to get him to Atlanta would have at least initially looked a little like the package used to bring Mark Teixeira to Atlanta.

Once the potential Peavy disaster was avoided, Wren set his sights on Burnett until the Yankees gave the hurler a five-year, $82 million contract.  Burnett has posted a 4.79 ERA while making $49.5 million and totaling 98 starts over the past three years in New York

You can argue Burnett would have been far more impressive in the National League or been much more comfortable in Atlanta.  But you can’t necessarily guarantee that he would have been significantly better than Lowe was over the past three years.

Wren definitely  hoped to get more from the $78 million he used to sign Lowe and Kawakami.  But based on the options that were available during that eventful winter, it can be said he did all that he could once he chose to navigate the always-dangerous free agent market for starting pitchers.

The Braves have traded Derek Lowe to the Indians in exchange Minor League left-handed pitcher Chris Jones.    With this cost-cutting move, the Braves will save $5 million.  The Indians have agreed to pay $5 million of the $15 million still owed the 38-year-old pitcher as he enters the final year of his contract.  <p>

It’s quite safe to say Lowe did not live up to the expectations the Braves had when they gave him a four-year, $60 million contract in January of 2009.  The veteran hurler posted a 4.57 ERA in the 101 starts he made during his three seasons with Atlanta.

Lowe created optimism when he went 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA in his final five starts of the 2010 season.  But after being named the Braves’ Opening Day starter for the third consecutive season this year, he posted a 5.05 ERA in 34 starts.

With an additional $5 million to spend the Braves will now have some more flexibility as they attempt to sign a shortstop and potentially upgrade their outfield this winter.

Jones posted a 3.36 ERA in 43 relief appearances for Class A-Advanced Kinston this past season.  The 23-year-old southpaw recorded 65 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings and limited left-handed batters to a .143 (12-for-83) batting average.

In the process of covering the Braves for the past 11 years, there have obviously been many occasions when I have mentioned something about the epic 1991 World Series.  Twenty years later, fans still passionately talk about Kirby Puckett’s 11th-inning home run and the pitching duel John Smoltz and Jack Morris waged the following evening  in Game 7.

This was a Fall Classic that epitomized drama.  Five of the seven games were decided by one run and nine innings were not enough to determine a winner in the final two games.  Puckett’s walk-off homer in Game 6 forced the Braves to bring a 24-year-old Smoltz back on short rest.

Foreshadowing some of the success he would enjoy in the postseason over the next 15 years, Smoltz responded with 7 1/3 scoreless innings.  Unfortunately for the young right-hander, his effort was not enough to trump the one produced by his childhood idol.  Morris went the distance while leading the Twins to a 1-0, 10-inning, Game 7 victory.

Those who watched the game still talk about the tension it created.  Those of us who chose to pout and ignore the game now simply wish we had taken advantage of the opportunity to experience the rare opportunity to experience the splendor created by Game 7 of the World Series.

Once the Braves eliminated my beloved Pirates in the National League Championship Series that year, I figure I essentially put an end to my baseball season.   As hard as I try, I really do not remember seeing anything more than highlights from the ’91 World Series.

I remember being at my grandmother’s house the night a disgusted John Tudor sliced his finger while punching a mechanical fan after being pulled in Game 7 of the 1984 World Series.  I remember my dad driving us from Pittsburgh back home to Wheeling, WV in time to see the grounder go under Bill Buckner’s legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

I know where I was sitting when Edgar Renteria produced his two-out, 11th-inning single to end the 1997 World Series.  And I remember I was sitting in a black papasan chair when Luis Gonzalez hit his game-winning single off Mariano Rivera in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.

But I really have no vivid memories from the 1991 World Series.

I still remember coming home from football practice a few weeks later to learn Magic Johnson announce he had contracted HIV.  But other than what I gained from highlights, I really don’t remember anything about Puckett hitting that home run or Kent Hrbek lifting Ron Gant off the first base bag.

At 17-years-old, I did not have any desire to watch the World Series after seeing the Pirates bounced from the NLCS for the second straight year.   Twenty years later, it’s quite obvious that I was simply denying myself a chance to experience some of the greatness the postseason brings.

Fortunately this year’s postseason as a whole might be the greatest in baseball’s history.  Unfortunately for Braves (and Red Sox) fans, the drama actually began on the regular season’s final day.  Fortunately for baseball fans everywhere, the postseason has been extended to its limit with the Cardinals and Rangers set to play Game 7 of the World Series tonight.

It will seemingly be impossible for the Rangers and Cardinals to top what they created in Game 6.  It was ugly from both a pitching and defensive standpoint.  But from simply a competitive standpoint, it certainly felt like one of the greatest sporting events I have ever witnessed.

Twice the Cardinals tied the game in the ninth inning or later after being pushed to their last strike.   The guy (Lance Berkman) that they could have traded to the Rangers when they were seemingly out of contention in August produced a two-out game-tying single in the 10th inning.  Then the St. Louis native (David Freese) who had tripled off the right field wall to tie the game with two outs in the ninth inning drilled a walk-off homer to begin the bottom of the 11th inning.

You can’t make this stuff up.  The team that trailed the Braves by 10 1/2 games on Aug. 25 is now just one win away from winning the World Series.  Standing in their way will be Rangers left-hander Matt Harrison, who of course was part of the prospect-laden package the Braves used to bring Mark Teixeira to Atlanta.

This is just the fifth time in the past 20 years that the baseball world will have the pleasure of watching Game 7 of a World Series.   I suggest you don’t miss it.  You might still regret it 20 years from now.

Greg Walker has been given the opportunity to return to his native Georgia to serve as the Braves new hitting coach.

The Braves have hired Walker to serve as their third hitting coach in the span of three years.  Larry Parrish held the position for just one year before being fired two days after the end of this past season.

Walker spent nine seasons as the White Sox hitting coach before resigning at the end of this past season.   Veterans A.J. Pierzynski and Paul Konerko have credited much of their success to the tutelage he has provided over the years.

Walker hit .260 during his nine years as a Major League player.  The 52-year-old native of Douglas, Ga. is an avid hunter who has gone on a couple hunts with Braves veteran pitcher Tim Hudson.