Braves Rumors

Latest On The Braves’ Front Office Search

By Mark Polishuk | November 12, 2017 at 10:14pm CDT

10:14pm: The Braves are moving on from Moore, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports, as “hope evaporated this weekend” that Moore would be made available by the Royals. In regards to Hart’s future, Bowman notes that since both Anthopoulos and Hendry are experienced general managers, either could take over the Braves’ baseball ops department should Hart no longer continue with the organization. “The Braves likely will make a decision as soon as possible” about their new GM, and Anthopoulos looks like the favorite.

7:39pm: Dayton Moore is still the Braves’ top choice to become the club’s new general manager, though if Atlanta isn’t able to get Moore away from the Royals, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is “the preferred Plan B” option. Three sources paint Anthopoulos as the front-runner for the job, given that there still seems to be little traction to the idea of Moore leaving Kansas City for Atlanta.

The situation is far from being finalized, however, due to the Braves holding out hope that Moore could still become available, Major League Baseball’s ongoing investigation into signing violations under former Braves GM John Coppolella, and the status of Braves president of baseball operations John Hart. Sherman reports that Hart prefers Anthopoulos for the GM job, while club vice chairman John Schuerholz is thought to prefer former Cubs GM Jim Hendry. Hart’s own contract with the Braves expired after the 2017 season, and it isn’t yet clear if he will remain atop Atlanta’s baseball ops pyramid or if the team could desire a clean slate with a new name in charge of the front office. (In regards to Moore, he would reportedly want full control over the Braves’ operations if he were to join the organization.)

Anthopoulos, 40, worked as Toronto’s GM for six seasons, building the nucleus that led the Jays to consecutive runs to the ALCS in 2015-16. He somewhat surprisingly left the job after his contract was up after the 2015 season, however, the presence of new Jays president Mark Shapiro meant that Anthopoulos would’ve essentially been demoted to second-in-command on the team’s depth chart of baseball decision-makers.

Anthopoulos has worked as the Dodgers’ VP of baseball operations since January 2016, and turned down offers from the Twins and Diamondbacks last year when the two clubs were in the midst of their own GM searches. Family concerns were reportedly behind Anthopoulos’ decision to bow out of those searches, as he didn’t want to uproot his young children from the west coast so quickly. As Sherman notes, however, the Braves’ job “is viewed as attractive” around baseball due to the team’s deep well of prospects, even despite the likelihood that MLB will level some type of punishment against the franchise.

Quick Hits: Ohtani, McCann, Braves, Phillies

By Connor Byrne | November 11, 2017 at 10:56pm CDT

A few notes from around the game:

Soon-to-be free agent ace/outfielder Shohei Ohtani spoke with the Associated Press and other media on Saturday about his desire to leave Japan for the major leagues this winter. “The other day I met with team officials and stated my intentions,” Ohtani said, referring to the Nippon Ham Fighters. “My request was met with warm words of support, so I hope to do my best in America from next year on.” The 23-year-old is renowned for both his pitching and hitting skills, but he noted that he’s “not a complete player yet,” which is his “strongest reason for wanting to go now.” While Ohtani does have “a strong desire” to continue as a two-way player in the majors, he admitted that he’s unsure if it’ll be possible.
Astros catcher Brian McCann told Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday that he’d like to end his career as a member of the Braves, with whom he thrived from 2005-13. “One hundred percent,” said the 33-year-old McCann. “One hundred percent. This is my home. I played close to 10 years here. This organization is really, really, really close to my heart. I love this organization.” McCann, a Georgia native who still lives there, will be a free agent next offseason if the Astros decline his $15MM option. Braves backstops Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki are also slated to hit the open market, which could pave the way for a McCann-Atlanta reunion in 2019 if the club’s interested in making it happen.
The team that makes a surprise splash in free agency is most likely to be the Phillies, according to a group of executives and agents who spoke with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. “They say they aren’t doing anything, but I have a feeling they will go after someone big,” an exec told Feinsand, who points to right-handers Lance Lynn and Alex Cobb as potential targets for the team. On paper, either would improve a Phillies rotation that ranked 19th in fWAR and 21st in ERA in 2017, when Aaron Nola was their only starter who turned in a particularly strong performance.

Braves Finalize Coaching Staff; Walt Weiss Named Bench Coach

By Steve Adams | November 10, 2017 at 1:18pm CDT

The Braves announced a slew of changes to their coaching staff on Friday, led by the hiring of former Rockies manager Walt Weiss as the club’s new bench coach. Atlanta has also hired Eric Young Sr. as its new first base coach/outfield instructor and Sal Fasano as its new catching coach. Former bench coach Terry Pendleton and first base coach Eddie Perez have been offered new positions within the organization, according to the team’s release.

Weiss, 53, managed the Rockies from 2013-16 before Bud Black took over the club for the 2017 season. In his four years at the helm of the Rockies, the team posted an unsightly 283-365 record, though Weiss managed some clubs that had exceptionally thin pitching staffs. Weiss, the 1988 AL Rookie of the Year with the Athletics, spent the final three seasons of a 14-year Major League career with the Braves. He’s yet to serve as a coach in the Majors, but he’ll bring prior managerial experience and more than a half decade as a special adviser in the Rockies’ front office to his new post with the Braves.

Young, 50, spent parts of 15 seasons playing in the Majors and has spent five prior seasons as a first base coach with the D-backs and Rockies (in addition to his on-air work with ESPN’s Baseball Tonight). Young swiped 465 bases in his career and averaged 47 steals per season from 1995-2000 and has previously worked as a baserunning instructor with the Astros.

The 46-year-old Fasano has worked in a variety of capacities in the Blue Jays organization, serving as a minor league manager as well as a minor league pitching coordinator and a minor league catching coordinator. He spent parts of 11 seasons as a Major League catcher — mostly as a backup — and long carried a reputation as a quality defender and receiver behind the dish.

Per the Braves, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, assistant hitting coach Jose Castro, third base coach Ron Washington, pitching coach Chuck Hernandez and bullpen coach Marty Reed will all return to the organization in 2018.

NL Notes: Giants, Mattingly, Stanton, Braves, Schu

By Jeff Todd | November 9, 2017 at 11:26pm CDT

Giants executive Brian Sabean discussed his organization’s chief needs recently with reporters including MLB.com’s Chris Haft. While the team is facing a difficult situation with regard to payroll — both in 2018 and beyond — Sabean says there’s urgency to improve in several areas. “Center field needs to be upgraded,” he said. “We have to find an everyday third baseman. And we have to be resourceful in how we reconstruct the bullpen.” Those are the primary spots that seem in need of improvement from the outside; truly getting better, though, will require some combination of creativity and tough tradeoffs.

Here’s more from the National League:

The Marlins have confirmed that Don Mattingly will, as expected, be back as manager, as Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel writes. The veteran skipper is under contract, as president of baseball operations Michael Hill noted, but the organization had not yet made clear in the midst of an ownership change that he would retain his role. (Of course, it would have rated as a big surprise had the team suddenly gone in a different direction at this point in the offseason.) Mattingly has said he’s excited to get underway with the new ownership group led by fellow Yankees legend Derek Jeter, but it’s yet to be seen just what kind of roster he’ll have to work with.
Speaking of notable possible roster changes, Hill has held a conversation with Giancarlo Stanton, Healey reports, but the Marlins are understandably keeping things close to the vest. Expectations remain that the club will slash salary through some significant trades; Hill acknowledged that things haven’t gone as hoped of late and says the goal is to “build a sustainable, consistent, productive major league organization.” Stanton’s massive contract and excellent 2017 season seemingly make him a rather obvious trade piece, and we took a look earlier today at some teams that could line up on paper for Stanton, but his no-trade clause gives him quite a lot of say in a future destination.
We’re still waiting to hear about league punishments for the Braves slate of alleged amateur signing transgressions, and it seems the wait will take a while longer. A decision is expected sometime between the GM Meetings and Winter Meetings, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. It’s likely that word won’t come down until December, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick adds on Twitter. Interestingly, though, Sherman says that the organization could end up making a front office decision before the commisioner’s office acts. Indeed, the team has been “quietly interviewing” some potential candidates that could join the front office in some capacity, per Sherman, who adds that the preference remains to seek a reunion with Royals GM Dayton Moore — who hasn’t been allowed to speak with the Atlanta organization to this point.
The Giants have hired Rick Schu as their assistant hitting coach, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports on Twitter. Schu, a former big league third baseman, had served as the Nationals’ hitting coach since 2013 but was among the personnel allowed to seek other opportunities after the Nats decided not to retain Dusty Baker. Washington ended up hiring Kevin Long as its new hitting coach.

Mike Foltynewicz Hires Excel Sports Management

By Jeff Todd | November 8, 2017 at 8:14am CDT

Braves righty Mike Foltynewicz has elected to hire new representation, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). He’ll now be repped by Victor Menocal and Casey Close of Excel Sports Management.

Foltynewicz, 26, is entering the earning phase of his career. He qualifies for arbitration this fall as a Super Two player. That first-time arb salary is a critical number both to fill up the bank account and set a starting point for future raises.

MLBTR and Matt Swartz project Foltynewicz to earn $2.7MM through arbitration. Though he only managed a 4.79 ERA in 2017 to go with his 4.87 career mark, Folty has buttressed his arb case by throwing 382 2/3 total frames with 345 strikeouts. He also reached double-digit wins last season.

It’s conceivable that the Braves could approach Foltynewicz about a long-term deal at some point, though it’s questionable whether that’ll occur next spring. After all, the organization will want to see whether he can elevate his game before committing. And the Braves have still yet to resolve their ongoing front office uncertainty.

Excel’s lengthy client list includes Foltynewicz’s current teammates Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson. You can access MLBTR’s full agency database right here.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Riley, Braves, Garcia

By Mark Polishuk | November 4, 2017 at 9:39am CDT

“There may be no ownership group in baseball that is more involved in the selection of its manager” than the Nationals, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes as part of a look at Dave Martinez’s hiring and owner Ted Lerner’s influence. Martinez’s three-year contract is “normal for the industry, outlandish for the Nats,” which indicates that Lerner (who just turned 92 last month) is more committed than ever to finally capture that elusive World Series championship. It could also hint at an aggressive offseason for Washington as it tries to add the final pieces to an already strong team.

Here’s more from around the NL East…

The Braves have a need at third base, but David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution considers it unlikely that the team will look for a major upgrade at the hot corner this winter thanks to the presence of prospect Austin Riley. The 41st overall pick in the 2015 draft, Riley has shown solid power potential in his young career, including a .900 OPS in 203 Double-A plate appearances last season. With Riley perhaps on pace to crack the big leagues as a September call-up this year and then be in the mix for regular duty at third base in 2019, Atlanta doesn’t want to block his progress by adding a veteran on a long-term contract. MLBTR, for the record, predicted Mike Moustakas as a Braves signing this winter in our list of the top 50 free agents.
The Braves’ front office situation is still up in the air, though potential GM candidates could include such names as Alex Anthopoulos, Dan O’Dowd and Josh Byrnes, as per O’Brien (Twitter link) and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. One interesting aspect of Atlanta’s search is that many of the names connected (this trio plus Jim Hendry, Dan Jennings, Ben Cherington, and rumored top choice Dayton Moore) are all former or current Major League general managers. This could indicate that the Braves want an experienced baseball operations leader who would be better equipped to operate despite whatever punishments or restrictions the organization could face once MLB concludes its investigation.
The Marlins are considering stretching out left-hander Jarlin Garcia in Spring Training to give him a shot at a starting job, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes. Garcia made his MLB debut last year, posting a 4.73 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 2.47 K/BB rate over 53 1/3 innings out of Miami’s bullpen. His numbers worsened as the season went on, however, which add to durability concerns about Garcia’s potential as a starter; Frisaro notes that the southpaw was converted to a relief role due to past concerns about his ability to stay healthy and effective as a starter. Assuming Garcia doesn’t run into any injury issues, the Marlins have little to lose by at least kicking the tires on his rotation potential, given how the club is sorely in need of starting pitching help.

John Hart To Avoid MLB Punishment, But Future Uncertain

By Steve Adams | October 31, 2017 at 2:22pm CDT

OCTOBER 31: While Hart may avoid disciplinary action, that does not necessarily mean he’ll simply carry forward in his existing position. Both Mark Bowman of MLB.com (Twitter links) and David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links) suggested today that Hart’s president of baseball operations job is likely still in play.

Indeed, O’Brien noted over the weekend that there’s still some possibility of Royals GM Dayton Moore being a candidate to run the Braves’ baseball ops department, despite the fact that the Royals initially declined to allow him to interview. Other names potentially under consideration (as PBOp and/or GM) include Ben Cherington, Jim Hendry, Doug Harris, and Dan Jennings, O’Brien also tweets. (Bowman tweeted yesterday that Hendry could be a candidate.)

Needless to say, there’s still quite a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Braves’ front office situation. In all likelihood, that will remain the case until after the World Series has concluded.

OCTOBER 30: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports that Major League Baseball will not punish Braves president of baseball operations John Hart as part of the investigation into the Braves’ violations on on the international free agent market and in the June amateur draft. Per Crasnick’s report, the league’s investigation found that Hart did not play a role in the violations committed by former GM John Coppolella and international scouting director Gordon Blakeley (the full extent of which remain unclear).

Crasnick adds that Coppolella and Blakely acted “without knowledge or approval” from Hart or team president John Schuerholz, but the league is still looking into other lower-level Braves employees to determine whether they played a role. Hart, at one point, was reported to have played some role in the Braves’ violations, though there’s yet to be any reported indication of evidence found against him. Crasnick quotes a source that called Hart’s management style “disengaged.”

The outcome of the investigation, particularly the fate of Hart, is of particular intrigue given the uncertainty that presently permeates the Atlanta front office. Crasnick reported over the weekend that the Braves were denied permission to interview Royals general manager Dayton Moore, but even before they were denied, there’d been widespread speculation that Moore would not abandon his post with the Royals to work underneath Hart. If Hart is indeed retained and holds onto his title, that could limit the field of candidates with interest in the job. Certainly, any current general manager would be unlikely to jump ship, as executives will typically only move to a new organization (or even be granted permission to interview) if the move results in a clear promotion. Furthermore, some non-GM execs may not be interested in joining what looks to be a tumultuous front-office structure without the promise of baseball operations autonomy.

The Braves could, of course, still lure a younger exec to work under Hart, as was the hope with Coppolella. Speculatively speaking, it also seems possible that the Braves could yet orchestrate a more dramatic set of changes to the top levels of their baseball operations hierarchy. Hart’s contract, after all, was set to expire upon completion of the 2017 season. And ownership presumably wouldn’t be thrilled to learn that its baseball operations president was oblivious to the numerous sanction-worthy actions that were apparently being committed during his tenure. Some reports since Coppolella’s resignation have suggested that Hart will remain with the organization beyond 2017, though one can imagine that ownership will first want to learn the full scope of the results of MLB’s investigation before making any definitive determination.

Thus far, Moore has been the most frequently linked name to the Braves’ GM vacancy, though that match appears decidedly unlikely at the moment. Former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington (currently working with the Blue Jays), Nationals assistant GM Doug Harris and former Marlins GM Dan Jennings (also with the Nats) have all been linked to the opening. Once the league announces its findings and any further ramifications following the completion of the World Series, other potential candidates figure to emerge thanks to the added level of clarity.

Cafardo’s Latest: BoSox, Hosmer, Braves, Cherington, Rockies

By Connor Byrne | October 28, 2017 at 1:08pm CDT

The Red Sox and impending free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer look like an “ideal” match as the offseason draws closer, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe opines. The 28-year-old Hosmer is coming off a career season (.318/.385/.498 in 671 plate appearances) and may price himself off the Royals in the coming weeks. On paper, he’d easily upgrade a dreary-looking first base situation in Boston. Red Sox first basemen combined to hit a mediocre .248/.326/.430 in 2017, and the club will enter the winter without an obvious solution at the position.

Royals Deny Braves Permission To Interview Dayton Moore

By Mark Polishuk | October 28, 2017 at 12:51pm CDT

SATURDAY: The chances of Moore going to the Braves aren’t completely dead, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests. If Hart loses his hold on the Braves’ baseball operations, it could pave the way for the team to pursue Moore in earnest, according to O’Brien. The “belief among some observers” is that the Royals would be willing to let Moore head to Atlanta if they’re adequately compensated, O’Brien reports.

FRIDAY: Royals owner David Glass denied a request from the Braves to interview GM Dayton Moore for Atlanta’s own top front office position, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports. Moore is under contract with Kansas City through at least the 2018 season and thus permission was required for an interview. Such permission is often granted if a promotion is being offered, though that wasn’t the case here since Moore already holds a job atop a team’s baseball operations depth chart.

The exact nature of what job the Braves were offering is of particular note, as John Hart is still Atlanta’s president of baseball operations. Hart’s future, however, is up in the air due to the ongoing investigation about international signing improprieties within the Braves front office. The investigation has also now extended into looking into alleged violations regarding the amateur draft — Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan detailed some of the complaints leveled against former GM John Coppolella in regards to pre-draft agreements.

Coppolella and international scouting director Gordon Blakely both resigned their positions earlier this month, and Hart’s own contract is up after the World Series is over. It could be that Braves upper management decides to move on with an entirely new front office, regardless of what MLB’s investigation does or doesn’t report about Hart, and thus Atlanta would be able to offer Moore the full control that he has reportedly demanded if he were to change jobs. Though Moore and other names have been connected to their front office opening, the Braves have yet to conduct any interviews with candidates, perhaps due to the uncertainty over Hart. This is just my speculation, but it could also be the case that Moore was the Braves’ top choice, and they’ll now move onto secondary candidates since Glass has denied them a chance to speak to Moore.

Adding an experienced, championship-winning executive like Moore would go a long way towards settling the tumult within the Atlanta organization, particularly given Moore’s past ties to the Braves. For his part, however, Moore has stated that he is happy with the Royals, and reiterated to Crasnick that “I’m focused on what we need to do here in Kansas City.” While the Royals appear to be heading into a rebuild, Moore may also prefer the relative stability of his current position rather than join a Braves franchise that may be hit with some severe penalties, pending the results of the league’s investigation.

East Notes: Girardi, Travis, Braves

By Kyle Downing | October 27, 2017 at 3:57pm CDT

Earlier this week, the Yankees announced that Joe Girardi will not return to manage the Bombers next season. But as Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated points out, 53-year-old Girardi might not have lost the job due to the team’s performance or his body of work. The three oldest managers in baseball (Terry Collins, Dusty Baker and Pete Mackanin) all lost their jobs this season, and John Farrell (55) will be replaced by the 42-year-old Alex Cora. This points to a trend in baseball wherein the game is being run by younger players, and it might just be that the ability of younger managers to connect with those youthful stars is being seen as a major asset. Fluency in analytics is also becoming increasingly vital to the manager position. As Verducci also points out, World Series skippers Dave Roberts (45) and A.J. Hinch (43) both fit the bill for this type of “modern manager”. With Girardi lacking the youth and analytic mindset required for the new mold, the Yankees may have simply decided he is no longer relevant in today’s game.

Some other items from around baseball’s Eastern Divisions…

Red Sox number four overall prospect Sam Travis received his first small taste of major league action this year. But he didn’t fare as expected in the power department, slugging just .342 in the majors and .375 at the Triple-A level. Alex Speier of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended) writes that he spent a lot of last offseason rehabbing from knee surgery, which may have contributed to his struggles. Still, Travis has been seen in recent years as player with a big-league ready bat who needed to improve his defense at first base, and the former second-rounder’s offensive performance didn’t match the billing in 2017. His vastly improved defense, however, has led the organization to give him a shot in left field in the Dominican League, which could improve his prospect stock headed into next season.
The Braves have been denied permission to speak with Royals GM Dayton Moore, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports. The Braves organization is still reeling after the scandal broke surrounding then-GM John Coppolella, but they won’t have the chance to interview the 50-year-old Moore for the open position. Moore declined to comment on the request, stating that he’s “focused on what we need to do here in Kansas City.” The two ballclubs are in very different stages headed into 2018; the Royals are likely entering a rebuild with many key players set to reach free agency, while the Braves seem ready to come out of theirs and focus on contending. But because Moore signed a contract extension with Kansas City back in 2016, club owner David Glass would need to give explicit permission to any club interested in reaching out to him.

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