Atlanta Braves news and links: Pitching, pitching, pitching.

Braves News:

2016 Preview Series: Starting Pitchers

Listen, it's January 26. We have more than officially reached the lull of the off-season. Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes are officially off the table (thanks, Detroit and New York) which means the biggest fishes remaining in free agency have finally been caught. You know what that means: preview time. Maybe the biggest topic of discussion heading into spring training is the starting rotation. Following the trade of Shelby Miller, the starting rotation certainly took a step back. Grant McAuley broke it down for you wonderful people.

The Atlanta Braves enter spring training with no shortage of candidates to fill out the starting rotation. Unfortunately, there is also no shortage of questions surrounding each man. Some are seeking to rebound in 2016, while others are simply hoping to establish themselves at the major league level and cash in on the promise that comes with that "top prospect" billing. After utilizing 10 different starters in 2015 and trading away two of its better horses in last year’s rotation, Atlanta is banking several men from its stockpile of young arms to turn the corner and contribute this season.

Turner Field memories: "The Catch"

With the time that the Braves have at Turner Field is slowly beginning to wind down, but the memories still run rampant. Tomahawk Take has been running a series looking back at some of the best memories in the history of the Braves' time in Fulton County. On Monday, they looked at Otis Nixon's catch, back on July 25 of 1992. Nixon scaled a wall in center field to rob Pittsburgh's Andy Van Slyke of a home run. Hey, who said good defense isn't exciting?

More details surrounding FanFest emerge

The Braves will be hosting FanFest this weekend (January 30 for those of you out there who are into dates) and there's going to be a roster of both current and former players in attendance. Mark Bowman of MLB.com wrote on Monday that Tom Glavine, Fred McGriff, Phil Niekro and Andruw Jones are just a few of the former Braves legends set to be filling up Turner Field. There will be autograph sessions, panel discussions and tons of other entertainment options -- just what you need to help fill your baseball craving as we grind through the winter.

MLB News:

Looking at the 2016-17 free agent class

Maybe it's just me, but obsessing over free agency is practically a hobby of mine. The agony of my favorite team not signing a desired free agent can be frustrating at times, but that's certainly besides the point. Nevertheless, it's never too early to look forwards to the next crop of available stars -- and the 2016-17 class has plenty. The Blue Jays' sluggers will be available, as well as a few top of the line starters. MLB Daily Dish has the early look.

The best prospects to never reach the majors

In addition to being obsessed with free agency, I'm a card-carrying prospect hugger. I love ranking them, debating them, watching them and everything in between. But, there is the cold and unfortunate reality that some of your favorite youngsters may never make it to the show. J.J Cooper of Baseball America released an interesting piece today in regards to prospects not making it to the majors for various reasons.