Don't Deal With the Braves

Before my second cup of coffee this morning I came across the following three stories from today's papers, none of which are all that interesting in and of themselves, but taken together say something pretty neat:

Pirates' Adam LaRoche is fighting it badly, and is looking for hitting advice from wherever he can get it;

Cardinals' Adam Wainwright got shelled for the second start in a row, and there are questions about his durability; and

Brewers' pitcher Jose Capellan is languishing in the minors despite obvious talent because he's a disgruntled clubhouse cancer.

Common denominator: all three of these guys were promising players, if not potential superstars, at the time Braves GM John Schuerholz dealt away in the past couple of years.

Schuerholz isn't clairvoyant or anything. He trades for his fair share of bums and some of his recent signings have been busts once they came to Atlanta. But unless I'm missing someone, you have to go back eleven years to find someone Schuerholz traded away and whom the Braves probably wished they could have back.