The Winter Meetings are taking place in Nashville this week, and there has been no shortage of rumors surrounding the Braves. What’s smoke and what’s fire may be difficult to determine, but nobody is busier than Alex Anthopoulos this time of the year, as he aims to get his club back to the World Series.
One area Anthopoulos has not had to worry about in recent years is who will be managing the Braves. Brian Snitker led this team to a World Series trophy a couple of years ago, and all he’s done since is win 205 regular season games over the last two seasons. Some fans may have their complaints, but Brian Snitker isn’t going anywhere anytime soon unless he decides he’s ready to focus on something other than baseball in his life.
However, while Snitker will be managing the Braves again in 2024, the staff as a whole will have a much different look. Ron Washington was named the new manager of the Angels. Eric Young Sr. will also be joining him in Los Angeles, and bullpen coach Drew French received a promotion as well, as he’ll serve as the Baltimore Orioles pitching coach next season.
That’s a lot of holes to fill on a coaching staff in one offseason, but Brian Snitker is confident the Braves won’t have any issues bringing the right guys into the building.
On the #Braves coaching staff vacancies, Brian Snitker said they are in the interview process now. Said it's the "price of success" to have teams wanting to hire away your coaches. Is happy for their opportunities and confident they'll find capable additions to the staff.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) December 5, 2023
Attrition is natural for successful clubs. When you’re the best, everyone wants to attempt to imitate you. It’s the highest form of flattery, but it also creates another obstacle for elite teams to overcome if they want to stay at the top of their sport.
The Braves situation is no different. Nobody will be able to replicate what a legend like Ron Washington brought to Atlanta during his tenure as the team’s third base coach. However, bright minds around the game are aware of the future opportunities that could follow by joining Brian Snitker’s staff. This isn’t the first and won’t be the last time teams come offering promotions to poach members of the Braves organization.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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