Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: T-Rex, Roster Rules, and Ruminations

Atlanta Braves: Fredi Gonzalez to be fired soon

STEVEN KUBITZA / CALL TO THE PEN

Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez is not expected to remain in his role much longer.

The Atlanta Braves have the worst record in baseball at 5-18. The season seems like a wash and it is still April, and recent news seems to point to changes being made.

An article by Ken Rosenthal explains how Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez is likely to be fired soon.

"Gonzalez, meanwhile, continues to draw scrutiny with his decision-making, not that Bobby Cox could get much more out of this bunch. Maybe things will improve slightly once the Braves dismiss Gonzalez — it’s difficult to imagine him surviving past the team’s current eight-game road trip, with the Braves facing the Red Sox, Cubs and Mets. But whichever coach the Braves appoint as Gonzalez’s interim replacement — most likely, Eddie Perez or Terry Pendleton — will be just as doomed."

Firing a manager so early in a season is not always best for morale, but Gonzalez struggled last year and only appears to be headed for worse this year.

Ed. note:  We still don’t know that this is the case, but I cite this as yet another example of misplaced cat-calls.  MLB Network Radio’s ‘Front office’ show on Sunday morning discussed this topic, and treated it very well, in this writer’s opinion.

As was discussed, the question about Fredi’s tenure as manager (and recall this:  he’s the second-longest-serving manager in the National League right now (behind Bochy)) should not be about wins and losses.  The personnel available to him – put there by the general manager – demands it to be about more than that.  Here’s Jim Bowden’s take:

Sure:  Fredi seems to have been making some decisions lately that seem to be more about getting W’s than getting the long-term tasks performed.  He’s spooked, and perhaps his time is short.  If that’s the case, then Coppy should not wait, for that would hurt player development.  If not, then Coppy should say so (he had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago and passed).

Meanwhile, look at where the Braves are:  a building program that is intending to bring up a bunch of ‘kids’ over the next few years.  That screams the need for a manager with strong player development skills and demeanor.  Somebody like a Buck Showalter (sorry, he’s occupied in Baltimore through 2018) or former Twins skipper Ron Gardenhier.

Next: O What a Week!

Alas, though, it’s a tough environment to work in when all around you are looking for a suitable silver platter to put your head on.