A lot of new speculation and a bunch of clarification:

• K-Ros says the Braves talked with the Cardinals about Rick Ankiel, but got nowhere when St. Louis asked for Mike Gonzalez in return
• The two teams also discussed a Blaine Boyer for outfielder Joe Mather swap

I'm not surprised the Braves balked at dealing Gonzalez, even if he is a free agent at the end of the year, he likes Atlanta and there might be a chance the team can retain him. Also, with the uncertainty of Rafael Soriano, I don't think it's possible for the team to trade Gonzalez at this time. Here are Mather's stats from last year, his first year in the majors:

He's shown good power in his minor league career, but he is a bit old for a prospect. Still, I'd take a flier on him in exchange for Boyer, though I don't know if he is ultimately the guy we're looking for to bat fourth.

• Apparently, the Braves never asked about J.J. Hardy, according to Brewers GM Doug Melvin
• Yesterday, D-Fab mentioned that he was only "hearing" that the Braves were connected with Hardy
• The Braves did inquire on Corey Hart, but the Brewers have no plans to trade the young outfielder

No surprise here. This was the first time hearing either of these names and how they fit for Atlanta was a bit strange, and the cost likely very high.

• Jon Heyman thinks the Marlins will get somebody "good" for Jeremy Hermida
• The Sporting News quotes Bobby Cox as saying he thinks John Smoltz will pitch two more seasons... Bobby's really out there with the flattering praise lately
• The Reds may apparently have some interest in Jeff Francoeur, but the Braves still insist they are not shopping Frenchy

From Mark Bowman at MLB.com about the Atlanta Braves search for a left-fielder via trade:

The Braves are still looking at a number of power-hitting outfielders that they could land via trade. Three of the players currently on their radar are Rick Ankiel, Corey Hart and Jeremy Hermida.

It doesn't appear the Braves still have much interest in Ryan Ludwick.  But they may talk to the Cardinals about Ankiel, whose drawback stems from the fact that he's a Scott Boras client who will be eligible for free agency at the end of the 2009 season. 

The Braves likely wouldn't have to give up as much to get Ankiel as they would to land Hart, who will be arbitration-eligible for the next three seasons.  There have been whispers that the Brewers may choose to trade Hart to slash some money from the payroll.

It doesn't seem like the Braves would have to give the Marlins a lot to get Hermida. But it appears they are more currently more interested in Hart and Ankiel.

Hummm.... a lot of new stuff to process there. Here are the stats from last year for the guys mentioned:

Can I have none of the above. Maybe these are just backup plans to backup plans. Hermida interests me a bit, and he's likely the most familiar to the Braves (and he did go to the same high school that I attended in Marietta). We would have to believe that he could improve beyond what he's already shown in the majors.

If we can get one of these guys without giving up too much, then that's a different story -- it's all about investment verses return. But I really don't think we need another "project" on our team next year, we already have plenty of those.