Bobby Cox said that he believes John Smoltz, Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez could all be back in the pen within two weeks.  This comes as a surprise in regards to Smoltz after the news earlier in the week.  With the addition of all three, the Braves will have the best bullpen in baseball, and you can forget about scoring runs after the sixth inning on them.  All three pitchers are legitimate big league closers, and none of them seem to have an ego that will get in the way of making this work.  For a team that has had it’s struggles since Smoltz left the pen, better news would be hard to find.

My thoughts on the fantasy baseball implications after the jump.

It’s never good to hear the phrase “closer by committee”, and I honestly do not think that the Braves will use Smoltz as anything but the closer.  This is bad news for Soriano and Gonzalez owners, especially those like me who have been leaving Gonzalez in a DL spot all season.  The news isn’t all bad, though, because my philosophy is to always have at least one great non-closer reliever on my squad.  Either one of these guys could easily pick up some cheap wins and saves, and both of them could be trade targets later on in the season.  With all three being legitimate closers, teams in need are going to come calling at some point.

There is no guarantee that either of them will be moved, and if the Braves offense keeps shelling I wouldn’t be surprised to see them say no to all suitors as they make a run at the Series. Sitting a mere 1.5 games behind the first place Marlins, and with the offense pouring it on, the possibility of regaining the division lead is solid, at worst.  This is shaping up to be another great summer of baseball, and it’s beginning to look like it could be a great season for the Braves.