Braves' $35M All-Star injury could signal end of line amid telling comments from GM Alex Anthopoulos

Hunter Cookston

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Braves' $35M All-Star injury could signal end of line amid telling comments from GM Alex Anthopoulos image

The Atlanta Braves are entering the final week of what will go down as a disappointing and unfortunate season. No one saw it coming, but the Braves have struggled mightily through large stretches of the year. This could also be the final weekend with Brian Snitker as manager.

“Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year—even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan,” Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote. “At 69, though, he's already the oldest manager in the National League by a several-year margin and was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.”

With the season effectively over, the Braves now face several tough decisions — one of which involves what to do with Ozzie Albies following his injury.

“Albies seemed like an easy choice to have his $7 million option picked up, but with another injury, that could change. In his final 26 games of the season, he batted .304 with an .897 OPS with six home runs, 12 extra-base hits and 24 RBIs. The Braves have to decide if, after the injury, they’ll get this production again or if they’ll be back to square one,” SI’s Harrison Smajovits wrote.

Even before the injury, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos seemed to have a cautious approach regarding the fan favorite’s future.

“With all these options (on players), we always make the decision at the end of the year — you have five days after the World Series, and that’s when you make the decision. It’s just, things can happen, things change. You always wait,” Anthopoulos said.

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The wrist injury certainly complicates things — and not in a good way. Albies has spent his entire career in Atlanta and has become a beloved figure within the organization and fanbase.

However, this seems to be a pattern with the Braves: they develop homegrown talent, let them grow into stars, and then — too often — let them walk.

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Hunter Cookston

Hunter Cookston began his career as a sportswriter for the Marion Tribune, where he covered local high school football, basketball and baseball. His passion for sports started at the age of four when he played his first year of tee ball. Growing up in Tennessee, he developed a deep love for the Tennessee Volunteers and Atlanta Braves. Hunter is currently attending Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he is pursuing a BA in Sports Communications/Management.