Why Is Alex Anthopoulos The Only GM Capable Of Getting Extensions Done?

Why Is Alex Anthopoulos The Only GM Capable Of Getting Extensions Done?

When things go south, who do you blame? Is it the owner or the general manager? There are obviously two schools of thought when it comes to this. Yes, some owners are meddlers but we usually know who they are. I’m here to argue (as I’ve been doing since this site was created) that there are a lot of hack GM’s out there that never deserve to have their job. Alex Anthopoulos and his ability to get extensions done constantly should be a wake up call for everyone else.

I refuse to believe that baseball just has a bunch of terrible owners. Yes, some are bad but several want to win. The bottom line is, most general managers just simply don’t do their job. Why is Alex Anthopoulos the only guy that constantly gets his players to take hometown deals? I think it’s because the other ones are scared of getting locked into bad deals. I think it’s because the other general managers simply aren’t doing their job.

Players the Braves have signed to 7-plus year extensions since 2019…

Albies: 7 years, $35 million
Acuña: 8 years, $100 million
Olson: 8 years, $168 million
Riley: 10 years, $212 million
Harris: 8 years, $72 million
Strider: 7 years, $92 million
Murphy: 7 years, $88 million

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) December 28, 2022

"I do believe everything you do should be team-specific. In my view, with the way that things are set up, this is what works for the Braves."

Following Sean Murphy's contract extension, Alex Anthopoulos discusses Atlanta's strategy of locking up core players to long-term deals. pic.twitter.com/oVA0OtB8qJ

— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) December 28, 2022

It’s not like Anthopoulos is only getting one or two of these deals done. This is now a pattern. A pattern that nobody else is somehow capable of? I’m not buying that everyone else’s owner is the problem. Maybe Anthopoulos is a dirty dog that knows how to work the phone? Maybe he’s the one guy in an industry full of computer geeks that couldn’t make a move on a chick in college if they tried. You want the truth? That’s what this industry is. They’re the one’s getting the jobs.

Reviewing the 2022 Oakland A’s Trades: Matt Olson

Anthopoulos is someone that should be received well by this Braves fan base. Go ahead and buy those jerseys. All these guys are under contract long, long term. He’s also putting a winning product on the field while building a young core this city can root for. That’s all I ask out of my general manager. Winning every year is an impossible task. Doing your job isn’t. Credit to Alex Anthopoulos for actually going to work every day instead of letting a computer system decide your decision for you. He should be considered a hero in Atlanta.

In the meantime, Boston’s general manager could have done this years ago with Rafael Devers. Are you seeing my point now?

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