ATLANTA -- Ask about the most significant changes the Braves organization realized during this offseason and you'll likely hear the names of Tom Glavine, Andruw Jones, Mark Kotsay and Edgar Renteria before John Schuerholz.

With the start of Spring Training approaching, fans want to get a better sense of what to expect out of Glavine and Kotsay, who draws the assignment to replace Jones' golden glove in center field. At the same time, others are still wondering just how much Renteria's presence near the top of the lineup will be missed.

Much less attention is seemingly being placed on the fact that for the first time since 1990, the Braves are preparing for a season without Schuerholz as the general manager. In his 17 seasons at this post, the club won 14 division titles, one World Series championship and five National League pennants.

In the 17 seasons before his arrival, the Braves won one division title and had 13 losing records, eight of which resulted in last-place finishes.

Fans who acted like the sky was falling in October, when Schuerholz announced that he was moving up to the team president's chair, have realized a sense of calm over the course of the past four months, while coming to understand Frank Wren is quite capable of handling the general manager's role.

Still, all of the pats on the back Wren received after re-signing Glavine or after acquiring Kotsay from the A's really don't mean a thing. His success as Schuerholz's successor will be truly determined based on the results the Braves realize over the next eight months.

"I think Frank has done a marvelous job of fixing the holes that we saw at the end of the season," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "It's not that easy to do, and he did it all ... It's up to us now to get the job done. I like the team a lot."

It's not as if the general manager's role was foreign territory for Wren, who spent the previous eight seasons as Schuerholz's assistant. But this opportunity is much different than the only previous one he had back in 1999 with the Orioles. He lasted just one year in that role and has reason to be thankful that he was able to escape that quickly.

"When I was [a general manager] the last time, I was coming into an organization that was somewhat in disarray and needed a lot of rebuilding," Wren said. "You knew for a while with every move you made you were going to be 'the village idiot' because you'd have to have a much longer range of vision.

"Here [with the Braves], it's just very different. We've got a great organization. We've got great people and we've got great players. Now you're just trying to find the missing pieces. It's not a big change from what has been going on in the past. If [Schuerholz] were still in this chair, he'd be doing the same thing. It's not like you're re-inventing things."

Wren's primary offseason focus was to improve the starting rotation, and Glavine was always the target. With John Smoltz and Tim Hudson in place, the Braves weren't in search of an ace. Instead they were looking for the reliability and dependability that the 300-game winner has provided throughout a career that began in Atlanta in 1987.

With Glavine, who played the past five seasons with the Mets, the Braves feel their rotation has the depth it's lacked the past two seasons. It will truly be strong if Mike Hampton is able to silence critics and prove capable of staying healthy. After missing all of the past two seasons and most of 2005, the 35-year-old southpaw is aiming to prove his twice-surgically repaired left elbow still has something left.

If Hampton isn't healthy, the Braves feel confident in the abilities of Jair Jurrjens, Jo-Jo Reyes, Jeff Bennett and Chuck James, who will all compete for the fifth starter's spot. Jurrjens, an impressive 22-year-old right-hander, was acquired in the trade that sent Renteria to Detroit.

"I like [the pitching staff] a lot this year," Cox said. "We have depth. We didn't have a lot of depth last year. We have eight legit guys that can make the rotation."

Wren is also hopeful that he fortified his bullpen with the December acquisition of Will Ohman from the Cubs. The left-handed reliever, who has struggled in the past at Wrigley Field, now has the opportunity to avoid pitching in the Windy City on a regular basis.

Ohman, Peter Moylan, Tyler Yates and Manny Acosta will be asked to ensure new closer Rafael Soriano is handed as many ninth-inning leads as possible. Mike Gonzalez, who is coming back from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, is expected to join this bullpen mix in June.

While the Mets might have made a bigger splash with the acquisition of Johan Santana, the Braves believe their busy offseason could prove to be just as productive during their attempt to unseat the Phillies as National League East champs.

With Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira occupying the middle spots, the lineup appears formidable and will prove to be even stronger if Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann continue to evolve into two of the game's top players.

Three years ago, Francoeur, McCann and Kelly Johnson were part of a group called the Baby Braves. Now, after experiencing two seasons that included dormant Octobers, they are just hoping to be like the Braves of yesteryear, who annually ventured into the postseason.

"I can't believe it's been two years," Johnson said. "There was a time when you wouldn't have imagined the Braves not being in the playoffs. But it's time to get back, and we've got the right pieces."