ATLANTA -- Had the Braves taken the risk of jeopardizing their future by keeping both Justin Upton and Jason Heyward for the 2015 season, they certainly could have avoided some of the disappointment that was experienced last summer. They could have delayed their massive rebuilding process another year, and in the process, they could have possibly overcome what would have been a suspect rotation en route to reaching the playoffs.
Or maybe keeping both Heyward and Upton around for one more season would have simply led to a repeat of the 2014 season, when the presence of those two outfielders was not enough to prevent Atlanta from enduring its third losing season dating back to 1991.