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The Atlanta Braves are fully focused on the offseason as free agency rapidly approaches. With the Los Angeles Dodgers having just won the World Series, the offseason is set to move quickly. The Braves will also enter next season with a new manager, as Brian Snitker was expected to retire during the year.
“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.”
The Braves officially announced Snitker’s replacement on Monday, hiring former bench coach Walt Weiss.
“The Atlanta Braves hired Walt Weiss as manager Monday, turning to their longtime bench coach in hopes of a turnaround after they missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Weiss, 61, managed the Colorado Rockies from 2013 to 2016, going 283-365 and never finishing higher than third place. He inherits a talented Braves team that finished 76-86 and was ravaged by injuries,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote.
Some fans and analysts are skeptical about how Weiss will perform. However, former Braves legend Chipper Jones has given him a strong endorsement.
“Boom! Love this dude,” Jones posted.
The hiring of Weiss aligns with the Braves’ long-standing philosophy, a strategy that has been used consistently for the past four decades. Atlanta players are reportedly supportive of Weiss, so a major step back for the team seems unlikely. With a veteran roster hungry to return to the playoffs, the Braves are poised to remain competitive in the coming season.
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