ATLANTA – Tom Glavine leaned against the Atlanta Braves dugout railing in SunTrust Park on Friday afternoon, pondering the trade-deadline deals that brought expected bullpen behemoths Chris Martin, Shane Greene and Mark Melancon to the Big Peach for the final two months of the season.
“It does a lot for confidence and morale,” said the Hall of Fame lefty who was named the MVP of the 1995 World Series after pitching the Series-clinching win for the Bravos. “Not that they needed it, of course.”
Glavine always had confidence as a player. Being a good enough athlete to be a high draft choice with both Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League – he was selected ahead of future hockey Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille – will do that for a guy.
But as a pitcher who might have won another World Series or two for the Braves with a better bullpen to help him and fellow future Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and John Smoltz, Glavine also knows what can overtake a clubhouse when deals aren’t made.
“As players, you’re all armchair GMs (general managers),” he said. “You know what you need to get better. And if the trading deadline comes and goes without a major move, you’re quietly disappointed that nothing was done.”