Braves GM defends slow offseason: 'There's still time'
Following early playoff exits two seasons in a row, the Atlanta Braves have been surprisingly quiet this offseason. In a rare winter interview, general manager Alex Anthopoulos defended that lack of activity, explaining why he’s not making major moves while the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani and the Philadelphia Phillies entered the fray for Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
“Do we react to what other teams are doing? You can’t,” Anthopoulos told The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz, when asked whether he feels increased pressure as National League rivals acquire major pieces. “You have to do what’s best for your organization. You still monitor what other teams are doing.”
When asked whether the Braves will enter the bidding war for Japanese ace right-hander Yamamoto, as division rivals Philadelphia and New York have, Anthopoulos refused to comment.
The Braves won 104 games in 2023 with a lineup that set an MLB record for most players with 30 homers or more in a season (five). Atlanta players made individual history in several categories as well, with National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. setting a franchise record for stolen bases, for instance.
However, the Braves have flopped in the playoffs two seasons in a row, driving many to believe they should be active this winter to patch notable holes, particularly in the bullpen.
“The postseason is a four-game sample size,” Anthopoulos said. “But, yes, you need to win. It definitely felt like we were light from the left side in the bullpen… We tried to add left-handed relievers at the trade deadline, but it was hard.”
So far, the Braves haven’t done much to address that issue in the offseason either. The team acquired left-hander Marco Gonzales from the Seattle Mariners, but he has struggled in a nine-year big-league career.
With several months until Opening Day, Anthopoulos was quick to note the Braves still have time to be actively involved in free agency and more. That should be encouraging for Braves fans hoping for a different kind of playoff run in 2024.
“We’re sitting here in the middle of December,” Anthopoulos said. “It’s still pretty active. There’s still a lot of conversations… So there’s still time.”
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