For more than a month, Braves general manager Frank Wren has been planning his attack. Now, it's time for him to dive headfirst into what should be a very hectic offseason shopping spree.

At the top of Wren's shopping list stands the need to acquire two starting pitchers, and it would obviously be nice if one of them were named Jake Peavy, who will command plenty of attention when Major League Baseball's general managers hold their annual meetings in California next week.

It's often said that it takes two to tango to complete a trade. With this in mind, the Braves will not be the only ones courting Padres general manager Kevin Towers, who will ultimately decide where Peavy pitches next year.

Wren won't specifically comment on his interest in Peavy, but he did say that he expects trade talks to be more substantial than they've been during the GM Meetings over the past decade.

"I do get a sense that the limited free-agent market might increase the conversations," Wren said. "Over the past few years, the GM Meetings have been more of a feeling-out period, where guys got a sense of what other teams needed."

While the Phillies were busy winning a World Series, Wren and many other general managers found plenty of time to get a jump on the "feeling out" process. Over the past 10 days, Wren says he's talked to every Major League club to get a sense of whether they can help satisfy his need to get two starting pitchers and a power-hitting outfielder.

"You have to see what's out there," Wren said. "The last thing you want to do is get deep into conversations with one team and then find out there's something else out there that might be better for you."

According to a Major League source, trade talks between the Braves and Padres have been at a standstill for about a week. The Braves aren't willing to provide the level of compensation currently being sought by the Padres, who could ultimately decide to keep the 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner as their ace.

With a no-trade clause, Peavy can dictate where he'll pitch next year. His preference is to remain in the National League, and he's made it known that he'd like the opportunity to pitch for the Braves and return closer to his Alabama roots.

During a conversation with a friend in Atlanta last week, Peavy reiterated his desire to pitch for the Braves. But at the same time, he indicated he was concerned that the Braves might not be able to compete with the Phillies and Mets.

Seemingly lost here is the fact that Peavy would be the key ingredient that could help the Braves as they prepare to dethrone the two-time defending National League East champion Phillies.

But it will take more than simply Peavy or just one top-notch starting pitcher for the Braves to get back to their winning ways. Wren will also spend a portion of next week talking to general managers about available power-hitting outfielders, preferably those who are right-handed.

This means he'll likely spend some time talking to his good friend Dave Dombrowski, who could be looking to create funds on the Tigers payroll by dealing 34-year-old outfielder Magglio Ordonez, who is owed $18 million in 2009 and $15 million salaries in 2010 and 2011.

In order to get somebody like Peavy or Ordonez, Wren is going to have to trade some of his best prospects. But he hasn't changed his stance regarding his small group of elite prospects, which likely includes Jason Heyward, Tommy Hanson, Freddie Freeman, Gorkys Hernandez and Julio Teheran.

"There's a group of prospects that we're not going to trade under any circumstances and a group that we'll at least listen to offers for," Wren said. "I think we have as much talent in our [Minor League] system as we've had during any of the 10 years that I've been here."