Braves remain in limbo

THE MLB investigation into rule-breaking by members of the Braves front office, specifically in the international arena, is not expected to produce any punishments from the Commissioner’s Office before next week’s GM meetings.

Thus, for the short-term, president of baseball operations John Hart will continue to handle the GM job, which became vacant when John Coppolella resigned last month after revelations of his misdeeds.

The expectation is that penalties will be levied before next month’s winter meetings, but also that Braves ownership probably will install someone in the GM role prior to that. The Braves’ preference is Royals GM Dayton Moore, who was groomed as an executive in the Atlanta organization. But presently Royals owner David Glass is not allowing Moore to leave his contract to take this job.

If Glass does not change his mind in the short-term, the Braves in the next week or two are expected to pivot and hire a GM from among a group that has been quietly interviewing the past few weeks.

Currently, Hart is not expected to be penalized by MLB for having a role in the misdeeds, which are expected to cover areas outside the international forum as well. However, it would be no surprise if ownership wants a clean break from the previous regime and moves on from Hart after a new GM is hired.