In the most important deal the busy Atlanta Braves have done this offseason, they signed general manager and president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos to an extension that will keep the young executive under contract through the 2031 season, the team announced Friday.
The Braves have had stunning success under Anthopoulos, 46, since he came to the organization in November 2017 as the club’s executive vice president and general manager, winning six consecutive NL East titles and the 2021 World Series. He was promoted to his current role in February 2020.
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“The Braves are an incredible organization to be a part of, and I’m proud of the success we’ve achieved together,” Anthopolous said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead baseball operations and strive to bring another World Series to Atlanta.”
AA is here to stay! pic.twitter.com/d8NDuKcKGa
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) January 12, 2024
It’s been a period of resounding wins on the field and steadily increasing profits for the Braves, who moved into a new ballpark — Truist Park (formerly SunTrust Park) — in 2017. They have ranked consistently among MLB leaders in attendance since the move and especially in the past two seasons since winning the World Series in 2021 — their first title since 1995. Atlanta has compiled a 515-354 record during Anthopolous’ tenure. Following the 2022 season, he was named Baseball America’s MLB Executive of the Year.
“This extension gives Alex the runaway to make long-term decisions and the opportunity to continue his track record of assembling teams that are perennial contenders,” said Braves chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk.
Before joining the Braves, Anthopoulos was vice president of baseball operations with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2016 to 2017. He was also GM of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2009 to 2015, where under his leadership, the Blue Jays advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1993.
In 2023, the Braves went 104-58, before falling to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS.
Tyler Flowers — a retired catcher who played 12 MLB seasons, the last five with the Braves through 2020 — recently discussed the emphasis Anthopoulos puts on team chemistry and the extensive vetting he does of potential Braves players.
“He does it the right way, man,” said Flowers, who now serves as a special assistant in baseball operations for the Braves. “Like, one of the most transparent front-office guys I’ve ever spoken with. He’s an open book when you want (him) to be, and when you don’t want (him) to be, he’s still an open book.
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“He tells you how it is. I think that’s great. I think that’s how this environment that we’re in for the last, whatever it is, six years is created. You know, it starts from the top and it works its way down, and it’s infected everybody below him. And that’s the expectation of everyone in the organization.”
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(Photo: Brett Davis / USA Today)
