With no ‘glaring need,’ Braves quiet at Meetings

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Braves exited the Winter Meetings on Thursday without having made any significant moves. But they are still drawing envy from teams who know they still have a lot of work to do to satisfy their offseason plans.

When the Braves arrived for the Meetings on Sunday having already been quite active over the previous few weeks, they said they wouldn’t be upset if they simply celebrated their legendary leader John Schuerholz’s election to Baseball’s Hall of Fame. They did so after Schuerholz was unanimously elected, and then they spent the next few days keeping their eyes and ears open for potential ways to brighten both their immediate and long-term futures.

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“There were a couple things we got close on, but nothing major,” Braves general manager John Coppolella said. “We’re always looking for incremental gains and ways we can get better. We’re happy with where we are as a Braves franchise. Two years into [a rebuilding process], to be able to put a competitive and fun team on the field, we’re very happy, and we held on to our kids. We’re going to keep growing through young, homegrown talent.”

The Braves addressed all of their glaring needs in November, as they added three short-term starting pitchers — Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey and Jaime Garcia, who will bridge the gap toward the starting rotation’s bright future — and significantly added to their versatility by signing super utility man Sean Rodriguez.

Atlanta came to the Meetings willing to remain players for Chris Sale, but it also knew it likely wouldn’t get that deal done because it wasn’t willing to include Dansby Swanson in the deal. The Braves also monitored the markets for other starting pitchers, such as Jose Quintana and Chris Archer. But they determined it was more prudent to not dip into their rich prospect pool, which includes some pitchers who could soon equal the potential value Quintana or Archer might provide.

“We can go to Spring Training with the team we have right now,” Coppolella said. “Are there ways to …

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