Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have generally focused more on trades and building from within the organization over recent years.

However, with the Braves trading Jason Heyward and actively shopping Justin Upton—as reported by the New York Post's Joel Sherman—they could open up some payroll to get players in the free-agent market.

The latest object of nearly every major league team’s desire is a Cuban baseball player—more specifically, a Cuban slugger. This craze was started by Yoenis Cespedes, then put into high gear by the “Wild Horse,” Yasiel Puig, and capped off by last season’s American League Rookie of the Year, Jose Abreu.

If you think the Atlanta Braves did well in the Jason Heyward trade, just wait until you see how they do in the Justin Upton trade.

Or so they hope, anyway.

With the general manager meetings getting underway Monday in Arizona, the hot-stove rumor mill is just getting started, and already the Atlanta Braves have been linked to several moves. While many teams’ rumors are rumors of addition, many of the Braves rumors thus far have been rumors of subtraction.

The Atlanta Braves have yet to fill the vacant general manager position, so it's still unclear exactly how this offseason will unfold.

However, there are looming decisions that will need to be made by whoever fills in as GM. In looking at the roster, there is potential for many changes to help bring the Braves back to the postseason.

Change should also be expected after an embarrassing last month of the season and an overall underwhelming 2014 season.

The Atlanta Braves fired general manager Frank Wren on Monday after seven seasons with the club. MLB.com writer Mark Bowman confirmed the news:

Watching the Atlanta Braves for the past couple of months has been like watching a train wreck in super-slow motion. Every few games, you can see a few fans jump off in anticipation of the inevitable crash. Every time a runner is left in scoring position, a fan changes the channel.

It's no secret the Atlanta Braves have played their worst baseball of the season the past few weeks.

The Atlanta Braves are 3-9 in August and have lost 17 of 26 games since the All-Star break.

The recent skid has put the Braves six games behind the Washington Nationals in the National League East and three games back for a wild-card spot.

The Atlanta Braves acquired Emilio Bonifacio and James Russell from the Chicago Cubs at the July 31 trade deadline to bolster the roster for the stretch run.

In Bonifacio, the Braves strengthened their bench with one of the top utility players in the game. He can play all the outfield positions and infield positions (minus catcher and first base) while adding an element of speed to the Braves.

In the thick of the National League East race, the Atlanta Braves would be wise to make a move or two before MLB's non-waiver trade deadline passes on Thursday.

There are two glaring holes on this roster—left-handed relief and bench depth. The latest rumors certainly touch on the fact that the bullpen needs help, though there really isn't too much going on in terms of bench help.