Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos’ views on the offseason so far
By Fred Owens
What follows is not a transcript of the interview; it is written from my notes while listening to it a couple of times. You may listen on the App or online if you have a subscription. To be clear, these are not direct quotes; I’m paraphrasing from my notes.
The Anthopoulos interview
When Bowden asked Anthopoulos if he had correctly explained why the Braves didn’t overpay Swanson, the GM gave his typical reply.
Anthopoulos said he wouldn’t talk about a free agent until the deal was signed, a statement completely in line with his position since taking the job. However, he went on to compare the Swanson situation to negotiations with Josh Donaldson.
The Braves made Donaldson an offer but were prepared to give Riley the job should the two sides fail to agree on a deal. He implied that Swanson was willing to work with the team, but a deal was never within reach.
He said again that as it stands today, the Atlanta Braves are prepared to enter the season with either Orlando Arcia or Vaughn Grissom at shortstop based on who plays the best in Spring Training.
AA then said a team who relies on young players must be ready for the young player to fail, but that doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t give the player a chance to succeed. This is as close to a direct quote as I get: it doesn’t make sense to pay a lot of money to six or seven players and have lesser players at the other 20 or 21 positions.
Atlanta Braves and Murphy
Asked about the deal that brought Sean Murphy to Atlanta, Anthopoulos said the Braves had checked in with Oakland early, as they had with other teams, to see who might be available.
Early talks ended with AA believing the Braves weren’t a match; when he heard the buzz about St Louis and believed they would end up with Murphy. When St Louis signed the other Contreras, Oakland re-engaged and told Atlanta that they really liked Brewers’ prospect Esteury Ruiz.
Atlanta spoke with Milwaukee, and the deal eventually came together a few minutes before it leaked to the press. (I took this as implying that the leak came from someplace other than Atlanta.)
Anthopoulos praised William Contreras as a power hitter and improving catcher but noted that his job was to keep the future in mind while building for today. The Braves asked about Murphy last year and wanted him but felt their chance was gone when the early opportunity passed.
Anthopoulos contacted Travis d’Arnaud before making the deal, and TDA was on board immediately. At this point, the GM said d’Arnaud is the glue that holds the team together, and he expected him to be part of the Atlanta Braves for a long time. I believe that indicated another extension isn’t out of the question next off-season.
The next answer shows that Alex Anthopoulos knows a lot about public speaking and interview strategy. Rather than shoot from the hip and say something you have to walk back later, interview strategy includes providing information near the subject until you’ve figured out what you want to say.