Alex Anthopoulos' decision to hire Walt Weiss as the next manager of the Atlanta Braves certainly came with it's share of online criticism. One floating conspiracy is that some notable candidates turned down the Braves' job. Never one to acknowledge social media drama, Alex Anthopoulos surprisingly had a response to those up in arms about the Braves' coaching search.
In a recent interview with 680 The Fan, Anthopoulos said he was "beside himself," after seeing some of the stuff that was floating around online. Atlanta's GM was quick to point out how special being the manager of the Braves is, and the notion of turning down that job was absurd.
Alex Anthopoulos addressed the rumors, saying no one turned down the Braves job — Walt Weiss was the guy.
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) November 7, 2025
Full interview with Chuck and Chernoff: https://t.co/u62zes8Ng9 pic.twitter.com/CvOAgbFamW
Alex Anthopoulos doubles down on Weiss hiring, says Braves job was very sought after
Anthopoulos continued in the interview by saying he was shocked the idea of turning down this job even came up in conversations. AA made a great point and said that this job is one of 30, and people may have just been more upset at the amount of time the decision took. He also said that early on in his career, he probably would have cared more about the PR and optics of this type of decision. As he's grown older, all he really cares about is the results that come afterwards.
Anthopoulos rounded out the interview with praise of Weiss and the confidence he has to win next season. Given the Braves have not had a managerial search in nearly a decade, this one was bound to get muddy. The length of time, list of candidates, and eventual internal "Braves' way" hire probably ruffled more feathers than Anthopoulos anticipated. However, it is good to hear the man in charge come out and back his choice so confidently, especially considering AA is typically one that operates in silence.
Now that Anthopoulos has seemingly put to bed the remaining managerial drama, he can focus on constructing the best roster possible for 2026. Key decisions have already been made, and free agent signings are hopefully on the horizon. Let's hope Anthopoulos has this same fire as he begins his offseason checklist.