Braves reliever Will Ohman heard rumors throughout the day Wednesday that he could be traded to any of five or six teams, and he listened with mixed emotions.

"The thought of having to leave is bittersweet," Ohman said. "If I do leave, I'll have a chance to go to a contender. But this is a great organization. Everyone here has treated me well.

"My family's enjoyed it down here. The chance to play for Bobby Cox has been a blessing. He's been awesome. Working with Roger [McDowell], Eddie [Perez], the entire coaching staff."

The Braves had trade discussions about Ohman with at least five teams, including Boston, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Detroit and the Chicago White Sox.

Ohman, who attended Pepperdine, wore a T-shirt earlier Wednesday in the Braves clubhouse that had "Pepperdine Football" on the front and "Still Undefeated" on back. He put a piece of white tape over the word undefeated and wrote in black marker "here."

Yes, he was "still here." But he knew there was a good chance he would be traded before Thursday's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline.

Ohman, 30, is eligible for free agency after the season and could command a two- or three-year contract worth $3 million or more annually, more than the Braves have paid setup men in the past.

When the Cubs traded him to the Braves last winter along with Omar Infante in a deal for reliever Jose Ascanio, Ohman had worn out his welcome in Chicago, where he struggled at Wrigley Field and his outgoing personality clashed with some in the organization.

With the Braves, he was 3-0 with a 2.80 ERA in 56 appearances. Before retiring both batters he faced Wednesday night, Ohman had a .200 opponents' average including .160 by left-handed hitters, .194 with runners in scoring position, and .102 (5-for-49) in close-and-late situations.

"On a personal level, it's been cathartic," he said of his time with the Braves.

It was a rarity in this Braves season: good news on the health front Wednesday, when Tom Glavine threw a three-inning simulated game without incident.

The 42-year-old left-hander is coming back from a partially torn flexor tendon near his pitching elbow and said Wednesday's session left him hopeful of avoiding surgery and possibly rejoining the Braves after a couple of minor-league rehab starts.

"It went really well, better than I thought it would," said Glavine, who smiled and called the development "a ray of hope amidst the chaos."

He threw 43 pitches against Martin Prado, Ruben Gotay and Corky Miller, and said it was the best he had felt since well before he left a June 10 start at Chicago with elbow soreness. Wednesday was the first time he faced hitters since then, and he said it felt like his best fastball velocity in two years.

"It feels good," said Glavine, who is scheduled to make a minor-league rehab start for Class A Myrtle Beach on Monday. "It's the kind of thing that I don't really know what I'm going to feel until I get out there, and it seems like each time I've picked up a ball, it's gotten a little better in terms of getting loose faster, and my arm speed has picked up each time.

"So it's all going in the right direction. More than anything else today, I feel like I had better arm strength and therefore better velocity than I envisioned having."

Glavine had aimed to return by mid-August so he could try to pitch the rest of the season and determine whether he wanted to keep pitching in 2009, and whether he would need surgery to do so.

Doctors told him it was uncertain whether the injury would heal without surgery, but his progress the past couple of weeks has raised the hopes of the 305-game winner.

"I'm just taking this a day at a time," said Glavine, who is 2-3 with a 4.85 ERA in 12 starts this season. "So I'll still be guarded in my optimism."

James on Friday?

The Braves might bring lefty Chuck James from Class AAA Richmond to start Friday's series opener against Milwaukee. He's 4-5 with a 2.48 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) at Richmond.