Two big questions linger as baseball investigates the Atlanta Braves’ illegal conduct in their signings of international amateurs: How severely will the Braves be penalized? And will John Hart, the team’s president of baseball operations, retain his position?
If Hart departs the Braves might turn to Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore, who worked for Atlanta from 1994 to 2006, rising to assistant GM. But according to sources with knowledge of the investigation, baseball has no current information linking Hart to the “breach of rules” in the international market the Braves cited when they announced the resignation of general manager John Coppolella on Oct. 2.
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Gordon Blakeley, a special assistant to Coppolella, also resigned, and a number of other changes in the Braves’ international and scouting departments are expected, including the departure of Alex Cotto, the team’s director of international administration, sources say. The Braves’ violations are unprecedented in scope, sources say, and baseball’s penalties almost certainly will reflect the extent of the team’s wrongdoing.
Many in the industry find it difficult to believe that Hart had no knowledge of the actions of Coppolella, Blakeley and others. Baseball has yet to interview Hart, who is running the Braves’ organizational meetings, sources say. But even if the commissioner’s office determines Hart was not an active participant in the Braves’ transgressions, it could find that he failed to exercise proper oversight over the organization. Hart declined to comment for this article.
It is unlikely that Hart would be disciplined for such neglect but baseball might cite a lack of institutional control when assessing how harshly to penalize the club, sources say. The penalties might include a substantial fine, a loss of prospects and restrictions on the Braves’ participation in the international market.
The Boston Red Sox were penalized in July 2016 for using so-called “package deals”—funneling money to highly regarded players through the signings of lesser ones—to stay under their spending limits. Baseball voided the contracts of five players signed by the Red Sox, making them free agents, and also banned the team from signing international amateurs who were subject to baseball’s bonus pools in 2016-17.
As the Braves attempt to move forward, conducting meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., their organization remains in flux. Hart will hire a new GM, assuming he remains with the club, while others in the organization might change positions.
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Dom Chiti, the team’s director of pitching, is expected to be named farm director, sources say. The Braves, however, still have not officially announced the move, and for a time discussed assigning Chiti to another position with the club, perhaps with the major-league coaching staff. If Chiti is not farm director, an opening would exist for the promotion of assistant farm director Jonathan Schuerholz, the son of Hall of Fame Braves executive John Schuerholz.
The Braves also have yet to reveal the composition of manager Brian Snitker’s coaching staff after announcing on Oct. 4 that they would exercise Snitker’s option for 2018. Bench coach Terry Pendleton and first base coach Eddie Perez are unlikely to return, and the status of pitching coach Chuck Hernandez is also under discussion, sources say. The Braves, however, might be reluctant to change pitching coaches for the second time in two years after firing Roger McDowell at the end of the 2016 season.
(Photo: Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
