Mark Teixeira will no longer be a member of the Atlanta Braves by Thursday. He’s posted some nice numbers since arriving from Texas at the trade deadline last July, but the Braves cumulative record since is a confounding 77-83. The poor record is no reflection on Teixeira.

While switch-hitting first basemen who can field their position are nice to pencil in the starting lineup every day, the Braves’ personnel gurus seem to have forgotten that pitching (starting pitching) wins divisions, pennants and World Series championships more often than not. Sure, you can out score your opponents but when the bats fall silent your arms have to pick up the slack. The Phillies lineup is replete with offensive contributors and we all saw what happened to them last fall.

During the past few MLB trade deadlines, the Braves acquired Teixeira and pitchers Ron Mahay, Octavio Dotel, Royce Ring and Kyle Farnsworth. On Thursday, it’s likely that only Ring will still be on the Braves’ roster. While none of the players dealt away to acquire those five players have set the majors on fire since they left the Atlanta organization, the Braves will have absolutely nothing to show for those deals unless they acquire some young arms for Teixeira.

As SU wrote in its season predictions in late March, “whatever your pleasure might be when it comes planning your roster to open the Major League Baseball season, if you believe that having two starters north of 40 years old (Tom Glavine and John Smoltz) and one that defines injury-prone or unlucky (Mike Hampton) among your top five starters, then the Braves are your team.”

Jair Jurrjens, acquired in the Edgar Renteria trade over the winter, is the team’s most pleasant surprise with a 10-5 record and a 3.02 ERA. But, trotting out Jo-Jo Reyes, 30 year-old Jorge Campillo and broken down Mike Hampton every fifth day doesn’t emanate positive vibes for teammates or fans.

Tim Hudson, now 33, joins Smoltz, Glavine, Peter Moylan, Manny Acosta and countless others who have appeared on the Braves’ disabled list this season. You can call it unlucky or unfortunate, but the fact remains you need young, strong arms to carry a team throughout a 162-game season.

Jurrjens and Hudson (if his elbow injury doesn’t preclude him from returning next season) will make a nice one-two punch in the starting rotation for 2009, but it’s time to cut Smoltz, Glavine and Hampton loose and re-vamp the starting rotation with pitchers who have proven that they can post 180 or more innings (30 starts at an average of six innings per start) per season. In addition to Hudson, C.C. Sabbathia, Jon Garland, Roy Oswalt, Johan Santana, Carlos Zambrano, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Bronson Arroyo, Jake Peavy and Danny Haren are durable types that every team wants. The Braves not only use to develop the types of players but also went out of their way to acquire them.

From 1991 to 1997, the Braves had a minimum of three starters that surpassed the 180-inning mark each season (except for the strike-shortened 1994 campaign) and a few times had four starters that exceeded the mark. You can tell me that the game has changed and the reliance on starting pitching is not as meaningful as it once was, and I’ll tell you most politely to go shove it. Starting pitchers, even if they only pitch six innings per game, are vital to a team’s success. You can have eight Mark Teixeiras in your every day lineup, but if you can’t get the opponent out, you’re not going to win.

Since the Braves won the World Series in 1995, all but two of the champions had a minimum of three starters log 180 or more innings and a few had four. Arizona, which won in 2001, and Florida (1997) had just two starters exceed the 180-inning mark.

So, if Frank Wren trades Mark Teixeira and a few others before the Thursday deadline and doesn’t insist upon and receive a starting pitcher or two in return, then you and I will both know that the Braves will continue to be a shadow of their recent past, both on the field and upstairs.

Braves' record at the MLB trade deadline since 2004 season
2004    57-46   up 4.5 games
2005    61-44   up 5.0 games
2006    48-56   down 15.0 games
2007    56-51   down 3.5 games
2008    49-56   down 7.5 games

Cumulative Standings from July 31, 2007 to July 28, 2008
NL East
Philadelphia    89-72
New York Mets   86-76
Florida 78-83
Atlanta 77-83
Washington  65-96

AL East
New York Yankees 95-66
Boston 93-70
Tampa Bay   87-74
Toronto 84-78
Baltimore   69-93