The Atlanta Braves had been largely very fortunate to retain the talent in their front office and coaching staff during this incredible run of success under general manager Alex Anthopoulos. There was a bit of loss after Perry Minasian became general manager of the Angels and took some guys with him, but generally folks have stuck around. Unfortunately, the organization just lost scouting director and trusted voice Dana Brown as he has been hired to be the Astros' new general manager.
Dana Brown, a well-regarded longtime scouting executive, has been hired as general manager of the Houston Astros.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 26, 2023
Dana Brown has been a very big part of the Braves' scouting success in recent years. Brought in after the team parted ways with former scouting director Brian Bridges, Dana helped bring in a lot of talent (with notable help from the Braves' excellent scouts) including Michael Harris II, Spencer Schwellenbach, Shea Langeliers, and many others. He had also been rumored to be connected to previous GM openings including the Detroit Tigers' open spot.
Hopefully for Dana, the situation that his predecessor James Click encountered with Astros ownership doesn't happen to him. As for the Atlanta Braves, they are going to have to find someone and quickly to head up their scouting operations. Amateur showcases are already starting up and the college baseball season is fast approaching, so getting someone installed quickly to prepare for this year's MLB Draft is now a priority.
It will also be interesting to see if any other Braves personnel follow Brown to Houston. Braves assistant scouting director Ronit Shah sounds like a candidate that could join Dana in Houston and that doesn't account for scouts and assistants that could decide to leave as well. It is likely that Alex Anthopoulos and co. have been preparing for this eventuality for a while now, but that doesn't mean that this couldn't end up feeling like a big loss for the organization...at least in the short-term