Atlanta Braves hire Alex Anthopoulos as general manager

The Atlanta Braves will announce Alex Anthopoulos, former Toronto Blue Jays general manager, as the Braves’ new general manager, per reports this morning. The Braves’ general manager position has been vacant since John Coppolella was fired last month amid allegations of wrongdoing in international amateur dealings that prompted an MLB investigation.

Anthopoulos was the g.m. for the Jays from 2009 until the end of 2016, when he elected to turn down a contract extension after Toronto brought Mark Shapiro over from Cleveland to be the team president. Anthopoulos had a strong track record at Toronto,, and will be inheriting a team that hasn’t won lately, but has a new stadium, a terrific farm system, and young talent to work with. The Braves previously had reportedly expressed interest in Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore, who was the scouting director for the Braves prior to going to Kansas City.

Former Ranger general manager John Hart is the president of baseball operations currently for the Braves, though it remains to be seen whether he will be implicated in the ongoing MLB investigation.