The Atlanta Braves absolutely could have "ran it back" for 2024.
After leading all of baseball in wins with 104, having one of the most dominant offenses in modern MLB history, and doing all of that without full seasons of Kyle Wright and Max Fried, it would have been easy to stand pat. Pick up leftfielder Eddie Rosario's 2024 club option, count on better health from your rotation, and try for another playoff run.
But that's not president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos' MO. No, Anthopoulos got creative this offseason, taking advantage of financial uncertainty across the sport (thanks to Diamond Baseball Holdings, a good portion of the league's broadcast partner, and their pending bankruptcy proceedings) to make a series of trades to take on bad contracts in exchange for talent upgrades. Anthopoulos acquired Jarred Kelenic from the Seattle Mariners, Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox, and Ray Kerr from the San Diego Padres, improving both the outfield mix, the starting rotation, and the bullpen.
And Atlanta, in turn, rewarded Anthopoulos.
MLB.com, writing their "biggest offseason surprises" article, discussed Anthopoulos multiple times.
Anthopoulos came up from the context of it being surprising that Sale, along with Seattle Mariners starter Robby Ray, were dealt. The two players, both highly accomplished veterans, weren't expected to be moved in trades this offseason. Boston was reportedly looking to add starting pitching, not subtract a high ceiling arm, while the 2021 Cy Young winner in Ray is recovering from Tommy John surgery he had in May and players aren't typically traded under those circumstances.
But the bigger discussion was Anthopoulos and his contract extension - the Braves signed Anthopoulos to a deal that will take him through the 2031 season, and the length was what got the attention of MLB.com writer Anthony Castrovince:
Since his pre-2018 arrival under adverse circumstances, Alex Anthopoulos has done a masterful job of taking a talented Braves core and supplying it with the necessary pieces to be a perennial championship contender. He operates a roster on which Ozzie Albies (team control through 2027), Ronald Acuña Jr. (through '28), Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider (through '29), Matt Olson (through '30), Michael Harris II (through '32) and Austin Riley (through '33) are all locked in for the foreseeable future.
But now Anthopoulos is locked in himself, after signing a seven-year extension through 2031. Though it was a foregone conclusion that Atlanta would not let A.A. get away, there is no known precedent for a front-office figure getting such a lengthy contractual guarantee. Like Counsell, Anthopoulos set a new benchmark for people in his position.
A lot of the feedback about Anthopoulos' extension has been focused on the length - as Castrovince alluded to, it's rare to see MLB executive contracts for such a long period of time, but it shows not only AA's desire to remain in Atlanta, but also the team's ability to get a deal done when negotiating against the guy that usually does their deals.
Either way, life is good if you're a Braves fan, and Alex Anthopoulos will be here continuing to prove that true for a while.
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