Schuerholz Expected to Step Down

by Lauren T. on Oct 11, 2007 11:23 AM EDT Comment 12 comments

The Braves have a major announcement scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
It's expected that longtime GM John Schuerholz is stepping down and being replaced by his assistant, Frank Wren.
Schuerholz took over as GM in 1990 and the team won 14 straight division titles before struggling the past two seasons.

That's incredibly insane. I can't wait to see the reactions -- from the fans, the media, the players...

What do you think? Is this a good time for Schuerholz to step down? With JS stepping down and BC possibly retiring after next year, are we looking at Frank Wren and Joe Torre in '09?

ETA: 1:40pmET, the official site is confirming the report.

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Wow

I hope this does not effect the off season signings.

by surge on Oct 11, 2007 11:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

maybe it makes sense with the Salty trade. He figured what the hell, Imma step down after this year lets try and go out with a bang. The next question I have is was the bad blood between Boras and the Braves due to the bad blood between Boras and JS? I want Andruw to walk, maybe Wren will have a different opinion in the matter?

by surge on Oct 11, 2007 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Part of me wonders...

If John Smoltz had anything to do with this. He sent Wicky out...did he do the same to the Homeboy Upstairs? ;)

Braves Love: The Atlanta Braves from a female perspective

by Lauren T. on Oct 11, 2007 11:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Did Anyone See This Coming?

I know I didn't. There are some rumors I have seen on another message board that it might be health related, and other rumors that he is going to the Cardinals. I hope it's not the former and I can't believe it would be the latter.
Hopefully the official announcement has some more information, but for some reason I think it's going to be vague.

by VegasAces on Oct 11, 2007 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I thought

Cox would retire before him. Whats Wren look like I don't know that much about him. Wish we could get Dayton Moore.

by jack dein on Oct 11, 2007 12:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Wren

I remember he was horrible in 1999 with the Orioles. Hopefully he learned a few things during all the time he spent with JS over the past few years.

Still, I can't help this feeling that we are utterly screwed going forward. JS was the reason I had hope every year - I knew he would make the right decisions and provide the players the team needed to stay in the race. Wren, I don't know. Based on his past performace, I don't have much faith. I do want to give him the benefit of the doubt though. If he comes out swinging, so to speak (make a deal for a SP, sign Tex to an extension), I think he'll win over the lot of us.

by VegasAces on Oct 11, 2007 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The AJC

is reporting that JS is getting promoted to team president. That kills the Cardinals rumor--I hope.

Go Braves!

by gramsey712 on Oct 11, 2007 1:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Good Times

I hope so too. It takes a bit of the sting off to know that JS will still be around so Wren can knock on his door and say "Hey John, what do you think of..."

by VegasAces on Oct 11, 2007 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Sky Is Falling!

The sky isn't falling, my friends, it's just rain! I do have a few things to say about certain comments made here, so let's do it:

Schuerholz did not pull the trigger on the Tex trade because he wanted to go out with a bang, he did it because he thought it was the best move for the Atlanta Braves at the time and looking into the future. Saying otherwise is like stating that he acquired McGriff because he needed to make a good impression or something else silly along those lines. The people in charge of this franchise aren't the sort to think in other terms.
It's as absurd for us to judge Wren by his one year stint in Baltimore as it was for Angelos to do so. Last I checked, they were bad before he took the position and terrible afterwards. Besides, this was Baltimore! A franchise that, under Angelos, refuses to acknowledge it's rightful place in baseball today and rebuild! His fingerprints are all over Wren's tenure there and we should consider that as well.
Wren has been Schuerholz's assistant ever since he left Baltimore and, even though genius is not contagious, it can't hurt to work with one for so many years. He's bound to have learned the tracks of the trade and he'll still have JS and his team to lean on. Atlanta is not an autocratic regime, but rather an oligarchy. Woah, can't believe I put it in those terms... um, a group of people run the show, not just the one GM. Anyway, this change is better than others because we're picking from within the family, no gap between one and the other, plus he's already in the culture and ready to go from Day 1.
Tex will be a free agent, no matter what. Get used to that idea and the fact that he'll cost about $20/season, which even in the best case scenario would be over a 1/5 of our payroll budget. As for what he may do more immediately, everyone and their mother knows that we need a quality starter and the Braves will get one if it makes sense to the team. That's one thing that won't change: management will do whatever it can, within reason, to make this team better.

I trust Frank Wren because Schuerholz and the Braves do. We've always given JS the benefit of the doubt, why should that change now? This is the end of an era, but it doesn't mean that we'll slip into the dark ages or something like that. So relax, people, it's just rain.

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by ejruiz on Oct 11, 2007 2:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Amen....

Well put.

by Hizilla on Oct 11, 2007 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good Points Made

Agreed 100%
Agree for the most part, good way of looking at it.
Agreed. In hindsight, that was my point when I said he could "knock on his door". Not that I think that will happen with every decision Wren has to make, but it's nice to think JS will still be able to have input, should he be asked or feel like offering his opinion. Which as president, I'm sure he will.
As much as you're probably right on this one, I am going to continue to hope for a miracle. Every time his agent's name comes up, I snarl "Boras!" like Seinfield saying "Newman!" Agreed that a starter is the most pressing need; and completely agreed that philosophy will not change.

by VegasAces on Oct 11, 2007 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs