Tom Glavine and the Nationals?

Tom Glavine's rehab from a season-ending elbow injury has progressed so well this winter that the legendary left-hander is on track to be ready for Opening Day. The question now is just what uniform the future Hall of Famer will be wearing come April.

It had long been assumed that Glavine, should he be able to pitch, would return to the Braves, the team he broke into the majors with and pitched for in 2008. However, with the addition of three other pitchers (Javier Vazquez, Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami) this winter, Atlanta might not have the room or financial flexibility to bring the veteran back.

That could open a window for the pitching-starved Nationals to swoop in and sign Glavine, particularly because of his pre-existing relationship with team president Stan Kasten, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Wait, the Nationals?

There's no doubt that Washington needs as much pitching help as it can get. It finished 14th in the National League in ERA last year. But Glavine, who will turn 43 just before Opening Day, is hardly a sure thing, and he certainly isn't a cure-all for the pitching woes in D.C.

As bad of a match as it might be for the Nats, it's a worse one for Glavine. He has 300 wins, two Cy Young Awards and World Series ring. In short, there's nothing to add to his legacy. It's one thing to take a stroll down memory lane for a season or two in the place where you notched so many of those victories. It's entirely another to hang on for too long just because there's still some team out there that will write you a check.

No one wanted to see Willie Mays play for the Mets or Michael Jordan play for the Wizards. Other than maybe a few die-hard Nationals fans, you can be sure no one wants to see Tom Glavine finish his career in a similar fashion.