It’s not always fair to judge baseball operations leaders for free agent signings. In many cases, the biggest contracts are negotiated to varying extents by ownership. The same can hold true of major extensions. It’s just tough to know from the outside.
There’s obviously involvement from above in trade scenarios as well. But, when it comes to exchanging rights to some players for others, it stands to reason the role of the general manager is all the more clear.
In any event, for what it’s worth, it seemed an opportune moment to take a look back at the trade track records of some of the general managers around the game. After covering the Diamondbacks’ Mike Hazen, former Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, the Brewers’ David Stearns, the Angels’ Billy Eppler, the Rockies’ Jeff Bridich, the White Sox’ Rick Hahn and the Tigers’ Al Avila, we’ll head to Atlanta to check in on the work of Alex Anthopoulos.
Toronto’s former GM, Anthopoulos took the reins for the Braves prior to the 2018 season, which came after the stunning lifetime ban for predecessor John Coppolella as a result of infractions on the amateur market. The Braves have since won back-to-back NL East titles under Anthopoulos, but how much has he helped the club’s cause with his trades? You be the judge (deals are in chronological order and exclude minor moves; full details at transaction link)…
2017-18 Offseason
- Acquired 1B Adrian Gonzalez, INF Charlie Culberson, LHP Scott Kazmir, RHP Brandon McCarthy and $4.5MM from Dodgers for OF Matt Kemp
- Acquired OF Preston Tucker from Astros for cash or player to be named later
- Acquired RHP Shane Carle from Pirates for cash or player to be named later
2018 Season
- Acquired LHP Jonny Venters from Rays for $250K in international bonus pool money
- Acquired RHP Brad Brach from $250K in international bonus pool money
- Acquired OF Adam Duvall from Reds for OF Preston Tucker and RHPs Lucas Sims and Matt Wisler
- Acquired RHPs Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day from Orioles for $2.5MM in international bonus pool money, INF Jean Carlos Encarnacion, C Brett Cumberland, RHP Evan Phillips and LHP Bruce Zimmerman
- Acquired 1B Lucas Duda from Royals for cash considerations
- Acquired OF Preston Tucker from Reds for cash considerations
2018-19 Offseason
- Acquired OF Matt Joyce from Giants for cash considerations
2019 Season
- Acquired LHP Jerry Blevins from Athletics for cash or player to be named later
- Acquired RHP Anthony Swarzak and cash from Mariners for RHP Arodys Vizcaino and LHP Jesse Biddle
- Acquired RHP Shane Greene from Tigers for LHP Joey Wentz and OF Travis Demeritte
- Acquired RHP Chris Martin from Rangers for LHP Kolby Allard
- Acquired RHP Mark Melancon from Giants for RHPs Tristan Beck and Dan Winkler
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What do you think of the trades Anthopoulos has made since he got to Atlanta? (Poll link for app users)
[polldaddy poll=10529489]
Lonely are the brave
Good movie.
Have mercy!
Taking on Melancon’s full 2020 salary was probably a shock to SF, which quickly turned into a small impromptu party for Zaidi and friends
Say all you want but id gladly pay Melancon for one more year at his current salary to be a solid reliever/closer … and hes off the books after 2020 … its not like AA decided to lay him until 2027 or something
pay not lay sorry
Lol it’s funnier w lay
AA is the one who needs to get laid by someone.
Sorry, I meant paid.
U must have been itching to write something
Needs to be laid out. His trades have been horrible.
Well hes the 3rd highest paid Rp in the game this year so soild/reliever really doesnt cut the mustard here at 19 mill-
Or in other word 85% of Josh Donaldsons 2020 pull in
Or MM +Markakis are getting 23 mill Donny 23 this year…
I get its not our money BUT it IS YOUR team
If there’s a positive he’s probably not going to be on the hook for the entire Melancon salary for this year.
Forgetting to factor in you have to pay Donaldson for four years. The $23 million was never the problem. The $46 or so that most teams thinks will be dead money is the problem. So, would you rather gamble on paying $46 million in dead money or $19 is serviceable if not stellar RP money .. which was a position of FAR greater need last year?
Exactly.
Oh the old hes going to be great for 2 years then fall off a cliff – Classic take by simpleton minds indeed
Serviceable if not stellar??……
19 mil is the 3rd highest Rp paid in the game…Go on, you can say it, its only a fact, no need to get scared of it or run from it-
Dude loves himself some Preston Tucker
Andrew Friedman has to be coming up soon in this series
Besides for trading for Tulo’s awful contract he’s done great work in two places
That’s a wash trade cause Reyes was a lost cause salary wise. How was AA supposed to know Jose was about to beat his old lady
2015 doesn’t happen with Reyes over Tulo at SS.
@david1979
If by “great moves’ you mean sneak into the playoffs after 6 years at the helm then sure.
And please don’t use the “but the guys he traded away didn’t amount to anything anyway”argument. All it does is prove how horrendous he was/is at drafting & developing.
That’s my boy right there! we miss you so much in Toronto AA. If only we had a gm with some cojones
@bigdaddyt
What exactly are you missing about AA in Toronto? Was 22 years of rinse & repeat of missing the playoffs not enough? And what good are cajones when they interrupt the blood flow to the brain preventing one from properly running a franchise?
We in ATL appreciate his brain, in identifying and locking up the talent he had to what many consider to be some of the most valuable contracts in MLB (Acuña, Albies), while appreciating the cajones he’s shown in the past, knowing he doesn’t have to prove to us that he can pull the trigger when the time and deal is right.
Give it time son.. I saw first hand how AA runs a franchise & it’s not good. He’s a fantastic negotiator. It’s his strong suit really. He’s already started dismantling the front office & he’s replacing those people with the likes of Dana Brown & Jason Pare, two people who were instrumental in doing nothing of significance their entire tenure in Toronto, John Gibbons is already waiting in the wings for Snitkers eventual dismissal.
He really didn’t do anything special to lockup those two deals. Now Hahn in Chicago. He has been a trailblazer in locking up extensions.
He changed things up completely from when he took over and brought in a Wild West like all or nothing style. Even if some moves failed he always was able to pivot and role with punches
Sure, lets praise AA for being able to roll with the punches while ignoring his disappointing tenure. A “Wild West like all or nothing style.” only works when the guy pulling the trigger has the RIGHT targets in his cross hairs.
C. Nothing too bad nothing too good. Free agency and overall running of the club will tell you more about this guy than his trades
Agree with this as well. Don’t love or hate any of the moves he’s made really.
Same. Trade wise it was like meh…nothing bad but nothing great.
I think he deserves a Nobel Prize for completely overhauling the bullpen when it imploded. Getting Blevins and Swarzak aren’t sexy trades, but they solidified the pen (along with switching Newk to relief and the emergence of Luke Jackson) enough to hold on until the deadline when he added Melancon, Martin, and Greene.
Also, getting *anything* while getting out from under the Kemp contract was great. The Kemp trade was Coppy’s third biggest mistake.
I’m a big critic of AA and the Braves ownership. But except for the last 3, I think all his deals have been pretty decent and we’ve gotten pretty good return on our end. And the last 3 are more TBD than a true evaluation. Greene looks like it’s a good deal, MM looks good, but I’m thinking Chris Martin is ultimately not the best deal and we could haven’t gotten more in return for Allard or at least sweeten the pot by adding him to a separate trade… but it’s ultimately a fine deal and AA really has done a decent job
He is a decent GM. Has great deals, has bad ones. Has had wonderful contract extensions/signings and some questionable ones. Toronto fans put him on a pedestal. Other than that, a really decent GM.
You forgot trading Jim Johnson and International Pool money to the Angels
So. Why aren’t his trades from his blue Jays days included?
Traded away Roy Halladay, traded away Syndeergard, traded for that Miami package , traded for Josh Donaldson.
He made some.pretty significant trades as blue Jays gm that shouldnt be omitted imo
I get he’s the braves gm but if we are talking about his trade history and judging him on his history as a gm that has to factor in as well.
That is a good point.
It says ‘Braves’.
@ stratcrowder
Title says: GM Trade History: Braves’ Alex Anthopoulos
Braves’ in this context means he belongs to or is working for that organization…..
It also says GM Trade History. Not AA’s trade history as Braves’ GM.
Wow, those Blue Jay deals are awful. Now I’m glad AA is running the Braves!!
@All American Johnsonville Dogs
They probably just didn’t want to incite panic in Atlanta.
Can you do trading Jerry dipto next
They said it will be a 10 part series. If they release it at one time it will crash the site.
B for boring. The only reason I gave him a B; none of the trades were stupid, so far. Who knows until you get 5-10 years down the road
See Melacon.
I miss coppy
AA’s wife could have done as good. Pathetic!
His wife wouldn’t know how to make a trade
I’m thinking that you have to consider the players he didn’t trade, that many fans disagreed with.
I give him a B+ so far.
AA has not made one trade or signed one FA that has changed the landscape of the club.
Now if AA Can release Luke Jackson
His wife wouldn’t know how to make a trade