The Braves on Thursday announced that John Hart has "signed a three-year contract" to become President of Baseball Operations, according to David O'Brien of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Hart "thought about it for a month while serving as interim GM, and decided to take team president John Schuerholz up on an offer to run the realigned baseball operations department" in the "newly created position" rather than GM. Schuerholz said that the Braves "don’t plan to hire another person to serve as GM," but will instead have Assistant GM John Coppolella "serve as Hart’s top aide and ostensibly be groomed to take over as GM in a few years." Hart served as interim GM for one month, during which he "made a flurry of front-office hirings and promotions, took part in countless meetings" with Braves execs and manager Fredi Gonzalez, and "realized he still had the desire and energy to do the job again." Hart lives "about 20 minutes from the Braves’ spring-training site" at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. He said that "being able to work some from there was a bonus." Hart was hired by the Braves as a Senior Advisor in November '13, and has "long been close friends with Schuerholz, who made it clear that day and several times since that he hoped Hart would take the full-time job" (ATLANTA-JOURNAL CONSTITUTION, 10/24). In Atlanta, Jeff Schultz noted the "prevailing opinion now is that Hart will promote" Coppolella to replace former GM Frank Wren, although Hart "didn’t suggest last month that was a slam dunk." Coppolella "appears to be highly regarded in baseball circles and the expectation is he’s going to get a general manager’s job somewhere at some point anyway" (AJC.com, 10/22).
THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR: MLB Network's Peter Gammons noted Schuerholz "did not what to go outside" to fill the position, knowing he has Coppolella "that he thinks will eventually be his general manager." The Braves "really would not have made all the changes in the scouting and development system that they made and then go bring somebody else from outside." Hart brings a "lot of enthusiasm up and down the line" and for the "stability of the organization, his friendship in his 30 years with John Schuerholz, it was one of those things where I think John Schuerholz said to John Hart, ‘We really need you,’ and that is a call that John Hart will always answer” (“MLB Tonight,” MLB Network, 10/23).
LESS IS MOORE: CBSSPORTS.com's Jon Heyman wrote with Hart accepting the offer on Thursday, Royals GM Dayton Moore, who had "widely been seen as a front-runner for a top Braves job, will surely remain" with the club. The Braves are "still seen as very likely to hire" a GM
under Hart, but Moore "wouldn't be a candidate for what amounts to a lower job, the No. 2 spot" with the Braves. With a "focus on Hart, and Moore busy with a World Series team, word is that no official overture was ever made to Moore" (
CBSSPORTS.com, 10/23).
