Alex Anthopoulos found a way to make the Atlanta Braves better this offseason and was rewarded handsomely for it
Without a doubt, the Atlanta Braves could have “ran it back” for 2024.
It would have been easy to sit this one out after topping all of baseball in victories (104), fielding one of the best offensive lineups in modern MLB history, and accomplishing all of that without complete seasons from Kyle Wright and Max Fried. Accept the 2024 club option of leftfielder Eddie Rosario, hope for improved health from your lineup, and aim for another postseason appearance.
However, that is not Alex Anthopoulos’ style as President of Baseball Operations. No, Anthopoulos used his creative side this offseason, making a number of trades to take on bad contracts in exchange for talent upgrades, taking advantage of the financial uncertainty that the sport was experiencing due to Diamond Sports Group, a major broadcast partner of Major League Baseball, and their impending bankruptcy proceedings. By adding Ray Kerr from the San Diego Padres, Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox, and Jarred Kelenic from the Seattle Mariners, Anthopoulos strengthened the starting rotation, the bullpen, and the outfield combination.
And Anthopoulos was rewarded by Atlanta in return.
An article on “biggest offseason surprises” on MLB.com featured several references to Anthopoulos.
Anthopoulos was brought up in relation to how shocking it was that Sale and Robby Ray, the starter for the Seattle Mariners, were traded. It wasn’t anticipated that the two veterans, who are both very skilled, would be traded this offseason. As Ray, the 2021 Cy Young winner, recovers from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in May, Boston was reportedly hoping to add starting pitching rather than subtract a high ceiling arm. Players are not normally dealt in such situations.
However, Anthopoulos and his contract extension were the main topic of conversation. Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com noticed that Anthopoulos inked a contract agreement with the Braves that will keep him until the 2031 season.
Alex Anthopoulos has done a fantastic job of taking a talented Braves core and adding the ingredients it needs to be a perennial title contender since his unwelcome arrival prior to 2018. He manages a roster that has contracts with Ozzie Albies (through 2027), Ronald Acuña Jr. (through ’28), Matt Olson (through ’30), Austin Riley (through ’33), Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider (through ’29), and Michael Harris II (through ’32).
However, Anthopoulos signed a seven-year deal through 2031, so he is now locked in himself. Although it was inevitable that Atlanta would not allow A.A. to escape, no front-office executive has ever had such a long contractual guarantee before. Similar to Counsell, Anthopoulos raised the bar for others in his field.
The length of Anthopoulos’ extension has drawn a lot of criticism; however, as Castrovince mentioned, it’s uncommon to see MLB executive contracts for so long. This indicates not only AA’s desire to stay in Atlanta, but also the team’s ability to negotiate a deal when facing the person who typically closes deals.
In any case, if you’re a Braves fan, life is wonderful, and Alex Anthopoulos will be around for a while to keep proving it.