The Atlanta Braves are entering unfamiliar territory from a managerial standpoint.
They now face a key decision: stay in-house, as they’ve often done in the past, or look outside the organization for someone with proven success. Either way, the writing was on the wall—Brian Snitker was likely not returning.
“Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year—even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan,” Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote. “At 69, though, he’s already the oldest manager in the National League by a several-year margin and was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.”
One potential candidate outside the organization—but with a direct connection to GM Alex Anthopoulos—is John Gibbons. Gibbons previously managed the Toronto Blue Jays while Anthopoulos served as GM.
“Before serving as the Mets bench coach the past two seasons, Gibbons was Anthopoulos’ manager in Toronto from 2013-15. The bond led to Gibbons being hired as a special assignment scout for the Braves in 2020,” MLB.com’s Mark Bowman wrote.
Gibbons led the Blue Jays to multiple ALCS appearances, though he never reached the World Series. While not a direct organizational hire, the connection to Anthopoulos could carry significant weight.
“Gibbons is the first, and AA is very familiar with him as he managed the Blue Jays from 2013 to 2015. Gibbons has been with the Mets as their bench coach for the past two years and may want another shot at managing,” HTHB’s Steven Teal wrote.
It has been several years since Gibbons last held a managerial role, and his current position with the rival Mets adds another interesting layer to the possibility.
The Braves are looking to bring in someone who can lead them back to the playoffs. With Atlanta’s core aging, there’s no more time to waste.
