Atlanta Braves hire of Alex Anthopoulos may lead to more changes in front office

On Monday, the Atlanta Braves announced the hiring of their new GM (and new Executive Vice President), Alex Anthopoulos. But, some details have me wondering what other changes may be lurking.

In Mark Bowman’s article covering the press conference of Alex Anthopoulos’s (AA’s) hire, some details have me interested on what might be coming down the road for more members of the Braves front office.

First, this little tid-bit:

“Braves CEO and chairman Terry McGuirk appeared both excited and relieved during a Monday afternoon news conference at SunTrust Park. As he introduced Anthopoulos as the team’s new executive vice president and general manager … ”

The simple fact that Terry McGuirk led this press conference (and that JS, Bobby Cox, and John Hart were absent) makes for interesting discussion.

As usual, though, I may be overreacting here. Still, the fact remains that they were absent during the presser. I haven’t seen too many photos with AA and other members of the Braves FO.

I’m also inclined to believe that this hire was all McGuirk. Hart, Cox, and JS, it appears, had no say in this.

Anthopoulos left Toronto, before joining the Dodgers, because the Blue Jays wouldn’t let him have the final say so. You could assume, then, that him coming to Atlanta comes with that perk, thus, the Executive VP title.

Here’s another snippet from Bowman:

” … John Hart had to relinquish his involvement in baseball operations as he was moved to a senior advisor’s role on Monday.With Hart in his new role, Anthopoulos will run the baseball ops department and report directly to McGuirk.”

Reporting directly to McGuirk means he by-passes both Hart and JS. Could it be possible, that McGuirk is gearing up for a shake up in the front office?

Realistically, what else do JS, Hart, and Bobby Cox for that matter, have left to prove? JS and Cox are Hall of Famers; Hart most likely will be as well. Perhaps 2018 will be the year that not only sees changes on the field, but off of it as well.

For all the bad that has come up with Coppy, no one can deny how he turned this farm around. He was the new blood the Braves needed, and now, could be the time to keep cleaning house.

Then, there’s the question of on management. Yes, Brian Snitker has one more year, 2018, in Atlanta. However, Anthopoulos isn’t what you would call bashful if needing to make changes mid-season.

It’s no secret as fans, we’ve all had our questions and concerns when it came to Snitker’s in-game management. With Ron Washington and now, the addition of Walt Weiss, there are two very capable options, that, should things get sour for Snit early on, there are in-house options to select from.

Aside from all of this, though, came an apology from Braves Chairman and CEO McGuirk that many of us had been expecting. Although we expected it sooner, the apology was still, from McGuirk’s deliverance, heartfelt.

“Frankly, the Braves have not lived up to our standard that the fans expect of us and what we expect of ourselves. On behalf of the entire Braves family, I want to apologize to the fans and our partners. We’ve let you down, and we will work to regain your trust, which actually begins today with this announcement.”

The damage has been done, yes, but I still believe in the Braves process right now. To be really honest, I think McGuirks’ hire of Anthopoulos and the shifting of roles for Hart make me appreciate and accept McGuirk’s apology.

As the offseason unfolds and the Winter Meetings draw near, there is plenty of time for more changes to matriculate.

Next: Is a Peter Moylan reunion in the works?

One thing is for sure though, and that is, McGuirk isn’t going to allow Hart, JS, or Cox to have the say so they normally have had when it has come to.

“Before beginning the interview process, the Braves made it clear Anthopoulos would have full autonomy with the baseball operations department.”

And that, to me, is a good thing.