It appears the Atlanta Braves will miss out one of the most popular names on the coaching market this fall. Tony Vitello, who is the head coach at the University of Tennessee, is reportedly closing in on a deal to become the next manager of the San Francisco Giants. Vitello is 47 years-old and has been part of a ton of success with the Volunteers, highlighted by the school's first baseball National Championship in 2024.
Vitello was likely never considered a favorite for the Braves job, but his candidacy did provide an interesting variance compared to other potential managers. Alex Anthopoulos said he hoped to keep their managerial search close to the vest, but the news of Vitello's impending hiring could be clue to what type of manager the Braves will look to hire.
The decision on whether Tennessee coach Tony Vitello will be the next manager of the San Francisco Giants is expected to come in the next 24 to 72 hours, sources tell me and @PeteThamel. Vitello has emerged as the top target of the Giants, but the sides have yet to reach a deal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 18, 2025
Vitello news could signal Braves value past managerial experience over everything else
Names like David Ross, John Gibbons, and Walt Weiss all have the plus of past managerial experience on their side. The Vitello news could signal past managerial experience is a key prerequisite for Atlanta. That has to be a big reason why Atlanta didn't pursue Vitello harder because his success at Tennessee speaks for itself. You have to think if the Braves wanted Vitello he would have preferred to take the Braves job considering they have a better roster as of now.
If that is the case, it would certainly rule out names like Mark DeRosa. The list of of names isn't a short one, but we can piece together hints to what managerial traits the Braves value by assessing who they bypass for the job. As we expected, not much news has come out regarding what/who the Braves value for their next manager so these developments is likely the best we are going to get.
Thankfully, the Vitello news and a team like the Giants (who were one of the better managerial jobs on the market) getting the ball rolling could lead to some much anticipated happenings with Atlanta's search. The Braves won't get too far into the offseason without addressing their manager situation first, but with each passing day of stagnant news fans patience gets tested.