Braves officials perceive some recent front office moves as the "first step in a larger battle for the soul of the franchise," according to sources cited by Ken Rosenthal of THE ATHLETIC. The moves are a "highly sensitive dance between the Braves' glorious past and promising future," even though some equate the moves to "nothing more than a minor restructuring of the front office." A team source said, "It’s a power struggle over who is running the club. Is (Vice Chair) John Schuerholz running the club or are (President of Baseball Operations) John Hart and (GM) John Coppolella running it?" Rosenthal writes tension is "mounting within the Braves’ organization." The team is "on pace to win 72 games, just four more than last season in a year in which club officials anticipated taking a bigger step forward." Some in the organization "view the front-office changes as an attempt to stifle dissent, portraying Coppolella as increasingly testy with certain subordinates." Others "view the changes as Hart and Coppolella 'testing the waters' for additional moves." Coppolella is under contract through '19, and the Braves "plan to hire another top executive to work under him" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/29).
