ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves are clearly rebuilding.The guy responsible for their overhaul insisted Thursday they can still be a contender.Long one of baseballs most consistent franchises, the Braves have dealt away three of their top hitters — Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Evan Gattis — and received only one player assured of being in the majors next season, pitcher Shelby Miller.President of baseball operations John Hart acknowledged that the Braves made all the trades with an eye toward their long-term future. Yet, in a city that has endured only three losing seasons in the last 24 years, the deals have caused major consternation among the fan base, with many complaining that the team has given up on the next two seasons and is more concerned about being competitive when it moves into a new suburban stadium in 2017.Not so, Hart told The Associated Press.We may not be the prettiest girl at the dance, he said in a telephone interview, but were going to be a lot of fun to dance with.On Wednesday, Hart dealt the power-hitting Gattis and a minor-leaguer to the Houston Astros for three prospects. Already this winter, the Braves got four prospects from San Diego Padres in exchange for Upton, while Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden were sent to the St. Louis Cardinals for Miller and another pitching prospect.Hart, who took over the de factor general manager role after Frank Wren was fired with a week to go in a disappointing 2014 season, said it was imperative that the Braves moved boldly to get something in return for players such as Upton and Heyward, who were entering the final year of their contracts, and bolstered a depleted farm system that ranked among the worst in the game.Gattis wasnt a contract issue — hes still got four more years before hes eligible to become a free agent — but Hart said the Braves determined he wasnt a viable full-time player at either catcher or as Uptons replacement in left field because of defensive limitations.A Texas native, Gattis said he was glad to be heading to a team that seems to have higher goals than the Braves.It seems like they are going into rebuilding mode, he said Thursday. Im excited to be on a team that is looking to win — this next year, immediately. Thats a really good situation for me.Those words must be stinging to a franchise that won a record 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005, and captured the NL East title just two years ago. Under former owner Ted Turner, the team was able to spend freely to fill whatever need it had. The current owner, Liberty Media Corp., has imposed much tougher salary constraints.It was highly unlikely that either Heyward or Upton would have re-signed with the Braves after the 2015 season, especially with the team still saddled with three more years on B.J. Uptons $75.25 million contract. He has been one of the biggest free-agent busts in baseball history, and theres little hope of team dumping his contract unless he has a major turnaround this season. The team also owes another $13 million to second baseman Dan Uggla, who was released by the team last season.We realized we couldnt fix everything, Hart said. That gave us sort of a road map for what we wanted to do this winter.The team picked up two of Houstons top-ranked prospects, right-handed pitcher Mike Foltynewicz and third baseman Rio Ruiz. The trade with the Padres brought prized left-handed pitcher Max Fried, a former first-round pick coming off Tommy John surgery. The deal with the Cardinals included right-handed pitcher Tyrell Jenkins, who is now listed among the Braves top prospects in the latest rankings by Baseball America.Hart said there could be some minor tinkering before the start of spring training, but no other major deals are expected. He said its likely the Braves will do a lot more platooning this season and look to be more creative in scoring runs, rather than relying mainly on the long ball.Even with Justin Upton, Heyward and Gattis, the Braves still ranked next-to-last in runs scored in 2014. The offensive woes led to a late-season collapse that resulted in a 79-83 record, 17 games behind NL East-winning Washington.Look, we werent going to be favoured even if we kept everybody and added two pitchers, Hart said. But I think the future is significantly brighter because of what we were able to do this winter.___Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 Bruce Matthews Titans Jersey . -- Kansas City Royals right-hander Luke Hochevar will have Tommy John surgery that will sideline the pitcher for the season. Earl Campbell Womens Jersey . So he and his Toronto FC teammates say they will have no problem getting up for their Amway Canadian Championship final against rival Montreal Impact, even if the result doesnt count toward Major League Soccer standings. http://www.titansstoreonline.com/Black-9...-Womens-Jersey/. - Kevin Labanc and Joseph Blandisi were a potent combination for the Barrie Colts on Friday night. Curley Culp Womens Jersey .The Williams siblings, with 25 Grand Slam titles between them, will have a couple of Madisons joining them, too.Madison Keys had a 6-4, 7-5 upset win over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Saturday night, and Madison Brengle beat Coco Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-2 in an all-U. Steve McNair Jersey . Anor had not scored since getting his first two goals of the season vs. Philadelphia on March 22 but struck with laser precision from distance in the 56th and 75th minutes. Montreal (3-10-5) lost its third straight and Impact coach Frank Klopas said it literally was a case of his players not stepping up.The Edmonton Oilers have another top-10 draft pick and with that comes another chance to build around its young core. The Oilers have the third selection in Friday nights first round, a year after taking Darnell Nurse seventh and two years removed from a streak of three consecutive No. 1 picks. But even with forwards Nail Yakupov (2012), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Taylor Hall (2010) and Jordan Eberle (23rd in 2008) in the fold, Edmonton isnt in a position to be position specific. "Youre just trying to get the best available player you can," head amateur scout Stu MacGregor said in a phone interview. "And if you end up with too many of one kind of player, it would then be up to management to trade whichever asset you have to attain something else at a different position." General manager Craig MacTavish has made no secret of his desire to acquire a puck-moving defenceman this off-season, which isnt exactly a unique need in todays NHL. The No. 3 pick isnt likely the place do that, unless it becomes a trade chip. The Oilers hosted defenceman Aaron Ekblad, centres Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart and multi-purpose forward Leon Draisaitl recently, MacTavish said in a radio appearance on AM-630 in Edmonton. Two of those players are sure to be available third overall, though Ekblad — a pro-ready two-way defenceman — is considered the likely No. 1 pick to Florida or whichever team trades for it. With Hall and Eberle taking up top-six wing spots, there could be room for Bennett or Reinhart, perhaps even right away, behind Nugent-Hopkins. MacTavish wants to fill in his top three lines so that grinders like Matt Hendricks and Boyd Gordon can slide down the lineup. NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said during the scouting combine that he sees this draft as being full of players to stock the bottom half of teams rosters.dddddddddddd The top-end talent is limited, but Marr thinks there are plenty of prospects with long-term staying power as role players. At No. 3, or if they move down slightly, the Oilers should be able to get a difference-maker. While not as good as the "incredible" 2013 crop, MacGregor thinks the top 10 players available are strong. After the first round, things get murky for the Oilers. They dont have a second-round pick — sent to the St. Louis Blues last year for winger David Perron — or a third-round pick — sent to the Los Angeles Kings in January for goaltender Ben Scrivens. MacTavish said on AM-630 that hes not in a position to trade assets to get draft picks, certainly not after dealing some away for more immediate help. With two fourth- and two fifth-rounders, Edmonton can continue to stock the cupboard, although the team hasnt unearthed a full-time NHL player beyond the third round in a decade. Unrestricted free agency will likely go a longer way toward determining the Oilers 2014-15 roster than this draft, and the chances the team has of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2006 when it went to the Stanley Cup final. MacTavish said the Oilers will chase some of the bigger names available but are more specifically looking for secondary help behind the primary pieces already in place. As trade talk heats up — MacTavish said hed had "some fa