By Bill Shanks
Fox Sports South.com
October 3, 2010
Now that the Braves have clinched the Wildcard, we can look ahead a little bit to see how the team might construct the roster for the first round of the playoffs.
The Braves have drastically changed the structure of the roster since opening day. Three of the original 25 (Yunel Escobar, Jo Jo Reyes, and Jesse Chavez) have been traded.
Three players (Kris Medlen, Chipper Jones, and Martin Prado) are out with season-ending injuries. Two others (Jair Jurrjens and Takashi Saito) are questionable for the postseason due to nagging injuries.
And there are two players (Kenshin Kawakami and Troy Glaus) who might simply be passed over in favor of others for the first round.
So 40% of the roster from opening day could be changed when the Braves start Wednesday.
Atlanta will undoubtedly use Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson, and Tim Hudson as the three main starters in the playoffs. They can get by with that in the first round, but a fourth starter would be needed if they are to advance.
Jurrjens
