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With the Atlanta Braves needing a couple of bats to round out the roster for the 2013 season, general manager Frank Wren could trade one of the club's many pitching prospects instead of going through free agency.
In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien, Wren said that the Braves are looking for a left fielder and a center fielder, and teams looking for pitching could be up to trading one of their major pieces to do so.
"I think you have to be realistic. When you're looking to fill needs, where do you have the most pieces to move if you have to move someone? And I think that's how we look at our pitching -- we're not looking to move any of them, but if it helps us fill a need, we're open to it. And that's how we're approaching it as we talk to teams. We like our pitching staff the way it's constituted. We like the young guys a lot, but as we put our team together, if something makes sense we're open to discussing it."
O'Brien noted that one of those teams is the Minnesota Twins, who are in desperate need of pitching and could be willing to trade center fielder Denard Span or left fielder Josh Willingham. Span might be the more realistic with Ben Revere looking as a natural replacement for Span at center field for the Twins.
Wren also said that the team is looking toward resigning Michael Bourn, but Bourn's agent Scott Boras is asking upwards of $15 million per year for five seasons, which might be out of the Braves' price range. Other options could include free agents Angel Pagan, Shane Victorino and B.J. Upton