Atlanta Braves rumors: Manager Fredi Gonzalez, GM Frank Wren could be fired after season?
By Hayden Kane
Currently sitting with a 76-76 record and needing a miracle to reach the playoffs, the Atlanta Braves could be looking to make significant changes this off-season.
More from Atlanta Braves
- Braves Rumors: 3 trade targets Vaughn Grissom can help Atlanta acquire
- Braves Rumors: Cubs trade, Vaughn Grissom targeted, Duvall’s conflict of interest
- Shohei Ohtani Rumors: The best trade package from every NL East team
- MLB Rumors: Potential Braves reunion, Lance Lynn no-trade clause and Orioles deadline intentions
- Braves-Red Sox start time: Braves rain delay in Boston on July 25
Besides begging teams around the league to trade for outfielder B.J. Upton, could those changes be directed at general manager Frank Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez?
Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes that change could come at the top in Atlanta this off-season:
"This possibility seemed to be out of the question just one year ago, when Atlanta captured its first division title since 2005. But the 12 months that have followed have altered the landscape and given the club’s top executives reason to assess the direction of the franchise.Thus, as the final days of the 2014 season approach, there is reason to wonder about the futures of general manager Frank Wren, manager Fredi Gonzalez and the members of the coaching staff."
It is especially interesting to consider the future of Wren, who has keyed an organizational philosophy in which the Braves are aggressive in locking up young talent and buying out a player’s arbitration years. That philosophy seems to have put an awfully good core in place in Atlanta, yet one bad season with a strikeout-prone lineup might be enough to undo any goodwill Wren had built up.
As for Gonzalez, he has always drawn mixed reviews as a manager. If anybody is made to fall on the sword here, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it be him as the Braves look to bring in a new voice.
More from FanSided.com
MLB: Ranking the top 5 free agent catchers
New York Yankees excuse Carlos Beltran indefinitely for family issue
Is a Beltway Series on tap after O’s, Nationals clinch divisions?