Braves rumors: Atlanta seeking LHH bench bat

This time of year, teams have completed most of their offseason shopping but may still be seeking the final few pieces of their roster. This appears to be the case in Atlanta, as Buster Olney of ESPN reports the Braves are on the lookout for a left-handed-hitting bench player.

At this point, the Braves have a few players that could fill the role of a left-handed reserve, including outfielders Jordan Schafer and Jose Constanza and utility player Ramiro Pena. None offer much in the way of experience, as Schafer is the only member of the trio with north of 500 career major league at-bats. For this reason, Atlanta - a team that holds aspirations of contending in 2013 - could look outside the organization for a player that offers more experience.

The Braves currently have four regulars who hit from the right side of the plate; outfielders Justin Upton and B.J. Upton, second baseman Dan Uggla and shortstop Andrelton Simmons. For this reason, Atlanta would likely seek a left-handed-hitting reserve that's an outfielder or middle infielder.

Atlanta could wait out the spring and attempt to pluck an out-of-options player off a team's roster. It could also look to the slim pickings that the free agent market offers. Several veteran outfielders that are left-handed remain, including Scott Podsednik, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu, though it's unclear how confident teams are in the latter two mentioned when it comes to defensive ability.