House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves: some quick takeaways from today’s GM news

By Alan Carpenter

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 14: General manager Alex Anthopoulos and Jose Bautista #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrate the 6-3 win against the Texas Rangers as Ben Revere #7 jumps on top of the pile in game five of the American League Division Series at Rogers Centre on October 14, 2015 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 14: General manager Alex Anthopoulos and Jose Bautista #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrate the 6-3 win against the Texas Rangers as Ben Revere #7 jumps on top of the pile in game five of the American League Division Series at Rogers Centre on October 14, 2015 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

There’s no way to guess exactly how things will go for the Braves over the next 4 seasons… but we can try a bit of crystal ball gazing based on things seen and heard today.

You might have heard by now… the Atlanta Braves have a new general manager… technically the 4th one in just over 3 years.  This one is probably as much of a wheeler-dealer (maybe more so – that was Fred’s take this morning) as the last.

But things will still be different with AA – Alex Antopoulos.  No doubt.  Here’s a few observations from the day (sources:  myriad media reports and live interviews):

  • Coppy’s trades were borne out of the need for a rebuild.  AA’s will be more along the lines of making the Braves into a serious contender… and in Toronto, he wasn’t shy about such moves.
  • AA managed a team with the 16th-highest payroll in 2015 ($116 million).  This season, the Braves were 16th highest, at $135.7 million.
  • To jump up into the Top 10, the Braves would have to exceed $160 million.
  • AA has mentioned that when this team needs ‘resources’ to get that last player piece at the trade deadline, those resources will be available to him.
  • In a radio interview tonight, (MLB/XM), he noted that he had not been given payroll/budget information as yet.
  • He plans on buying a house in Atlanta, though his children (7 and 5) will remain in LA to finish the school year.
  • His 7-year-old daughter was said to have taken this news the hardest, but maybe a bit better now after hearing that Disney World would soon be involved.  Wait until she hears that 2018 will be the last year there… with the team “trading” the location out for SW Florida!
  • He interviewed with the Braves during travel days during the World Series, then heard nothing for 2 weeks thereafter… until the call.
  • As a direct result, it could be a slow Winter Meetings for Atlanta while he continues to get up to speed on the system, the needs, and the staff.  AA has even suggested as much.
  • He “thinks the world” of Perry Minasian, who was high up on his staff in Toronto.  Expect Minasian’s impressions – from just 2 months on the job – to influence future Front Office personnel moves.
  • Two curious trades from AA’s past:
    • December 17th, 2012:  R.A. Dickey acquired (he was 38 at the time, and just won the Cy Young Award) and Noah Syndergaard sent to New York.  4 catchers and an outfielder were also involved.
    • December 15, 2009:  Roy Halladay to the Phillies for 3 minor league prospects.

Those prospects?  Travis d’Arnaud – who was one of the catchers in the 2012 deal that went to the Mets, Kyle Drabek (who had upside at the time), and Michael Taylor…. no, not the Nationals version:  this one is now out of baseball after getting 37 games in the majors (.167 average).

Fred had a full run-down on the ‘trade highlights‘ of his reign in Toronto, but some of his deals have actually worked out well… and on balance, he’s probably running about 50/50 on his ratio of decent to indecent deals.

Hopefully he can keep the Braves’ talent evaluators around.

More from Tomahawk Take

That said, many seem to believe that he was responsible for an improved farm system in Toronto:

"Anthopoulos inherited one of the worst farm systems in baseball when he took over the Jays and transformed it into one of the best. Not only have the Jays drafted well under Anthopoulos, they have also been among the most active and successful teams in the international free-agent market. The fact Anthopoulos traded 11 minor-league players at this year’s trade deadline — and 14 if you consider the Donaldson deal in the offseason — is a testament to the organization’s prospect capital."

Next: Hang on Tight

Hopefully, he won’t use up all of those Braves’ prospects all at once, but while Coppy talked about when the time would be right to ‘sell’ pitching assets, AA seems to believe that the time is almost always ‘now’.

For sure, though:  you’ll know it when AA is “up to speed” on the system.

Home/Braves News