The Atlanta Braves spent the entire season wondering whether longtime manager Brian Snitker would hang it up or return for another year. Many believed the Braves might even be the ones to force him out by choosing not to re-sign him after the final year of his contract.
“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.”
In the end, it was Snitker who got to go out on his own terms. A few days after the end of the regular season, it was announced that he wouldn’t be returning.
“Brian Snitker will not return as manager of the Atlanta Braves, sources tell ESPN. He informed the team of his decision yesterday. But he will remain with the organization in a senior advisory capacity,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan posted.
There are already several teams searching for their next manager, but things just got more complicated with Padres manager Mike Shildt also retiring.
“Unfortunately for the Braves, this adds yet another attractive opening for the top managerial candidates out there. The Padres have stars on both sides of the ball including young talent like Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. and they narrowly missed advancing in the playoffs this year after a tight series against the Cubs. It is safe to say that if you are one of the better managerial candidates on the market, the idea of managing a really good team while spending half the season in beautiful San Diego has a lot of appeal,” HTHB’s Eric Cole wrote.
With another top job now available, the Braves risk losing their preferred candidate to another team. GM Alex Anthopoulos has said he wants to take his time with the search — but he may not have that luxury anymore.
San Diego just made things interesting. Now, the Braves must make sure their top choice doesn’t end up heading west to California.
