Atlanta Braves: New GM Named Amid Massive Clean-Up
By W. M. Lawson
The Atlanta Braves named Alex Anthopoulos their new General Manager Monday. He has a good resume. That guy also has a tough job.
The Atlanta Braves finished the season 70-92. The problem is that that wasn’t their real problem. It turns out they were also cheating, and are currently going through a massive clean-up and restructure in the Front Office. In that effort, they named Alex Anthopoulos as the new GM. Mr. Anthopoulos comes with a fairly impressive resume. Which will be needed, because this is less a clean up and more a fire restoration.
Not to be dismissive or too depressing, but our beloved Atlanta Braves are in trouble. Yes, there is young talent that could usher in a new era of consistent winning. It is possible that brighter days are ahead, and in the not-too-distant-future.
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But a sober-eyed look at things don’t portend that, barring destiny finding favor for Atlanta. Reality says that, when the Front Office is razed and rebuilt in the off-season, when there are coaches getting fired, and when the Ownership Group is talking about revenue growth, the team usually loses that next year. And probably the next year.
The issue is that those losing years are piling up. Losing is no longer an aberration. It is quickly becoming our Freddy Krueger infested reality.
In steps Alex Anthopoulos and his résumé. Toronto and Los Angeles? OK. They did some things. He made some decent moves. He has a reputation for being clean.
That’s good, because the Atlanta Braves are about to get hit with sanctions. Those come on the heels of the stellar work of names like Gonzalez, Wren, Hart, and Coppolella, whose time cumulatively ruined one of the best brands in all of Major League Baseball.
There is a chance that Anthopoulos can come in and identify needed changes quickly, and jump start things at STP. If so, the City of Atlanta will get lit. The whole town will pop.
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It won’t be easy, though. His predecessors did a number on this franchise, and sparks are still sparking.