It has already been an eventful offseason for the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta was thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons after the resignation of GM John Coppolella amidst ugly allegations. The Braves are still waiting to hear what the punishment will be for the violations incurred, but they have reportedly found their next GM.
Joel Sherman of The New York Post shared the news that Atlanta will hire former Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos:
Can report now Anthopoulos is getting #Braves GM job, announcement possible at GM Meetings
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 13, 2017
Alex Anthopoulos to be named Atlanta Braves GM
Past Work
Anthopoulos rose to prominence during his time with Toronto. He began working with the Jays in 2003 and was promoted to Assistant GM following the 2005. Anthopoulos served in that role until late in 2009 when he took over the GM position following the firing of J.P. Ricciardi.
Anthopoulos’ work was not always conventional, but he certainly did good work during his time with the Jays. He took over a team that finished 75-87 in 2009 and turned the team around to an 85-77 record the next year. The team made a number of high-profile trades during his tenure that had varying degrees of success. The biggest knock against Anthopoulos is the trade that sent prospects Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud to the New York Mets. That deal did not work out, but Anthopoulos also pulled off an incredible steal of star 3B Josh Donaldson.
In six seasons with Anthopoulos in Toronto, the Jays had just two losing seasons and advanced to the ALCS in 2015 following a number of mid-season acquisitions. Anthopoulos acquired Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, Ben Revere, and Cliff Pennington during 2015 that saw the Jays advance all the way to the ALCS. Anthopoulos would turn down a five-year extension following 2015 amidst speculation that there was a rift between new president Mark Shapiro and Anthopoulos.
For the past two seasons, Anthopoulos has served as the VP of Baseball Operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers under Andrew Friedman.
Outlook
Braves fans should be extremely happy with the hire of Anthopoulos. He had an extremely strong record with Toronto, and it should be noted again that it was Anthopoulos who made the decision to leave. His work in Toronto was exceptional, and he has likely only improved after spending two seasons under Friedman in Los Angeles.
One other bit of news that Sherman shared is that Anthopoulos will not report to John Hart:
Anthopoulos will answer directly to Terry McGuirk, as I reported last night John Hart becomes more counsel/figurehead as pres of baseball ops
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 13, 2017
Fans will have to wait and see about the results, but hiring Anthopoulos is a step in the right direction.
Main Photo:
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