The Braves' season is basically over, and considering the club is 58-67 since late April, I don't think anyone is holding their breath for some magical run. A four-game sweep of the Pirates next week would make it interesting, but that seems highly unlikely.
Mark Bowman's latest article examined where the season went wrong. My takeaway point: the front office is kind of a mess right now. Emphasis my own:
But long before scoring became a nightly struggle, this organization started to experience some of instability that seemingly marked the start of the struggles that have followed.
Highly-regarded scout Dom Chiti and notable pitching guru Dave Wallace both left the Braves to join Buck Showalter's coaching staff in Baltimore. While both benefited financially by going to a Major League coaching staff, Wallace had indicated in the past that he was not interested in going back to the big leagues. But his mindset changed as he butted heads with members of the front office.
Then of course, the Braves nearly made the mistake of allowing pitching coach Roger McDowell go to the Phillies. President John Schuerholz stepped in at the last minute to keep McDowell, whose value extends far beyond what he does for the pitching staff.
A few weeks later, when Schuerholz hired his good friend John Hart to serve as a senior advisor in the baseball operations department, there was obvious reason to wonder about Wren's job security. There is still reason to wonder a year later. But it does seem like Hart like his other ventures, especially as an MLB Network analyst, to assume the position on a full-time basis.
The more we hear of unrest in the front office -- I'm sure this isn't the only article we'll see on this in the coming months -- it probably makes sense to make large-scale changes.
That would include letting go of Wren and Fredi, as well as all the coaches besides McDowell. Who should be the new general manager and manager is a discussion for another day ... or today.
Granted it's purely my speculation that there are some issues among important front office members, but it's not hard to read between the lines here.