Ex-Blue Jays GM hired by Braves

ORLANDO, Fla. — Former Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos is to going to be named the Braves GM, The Post has learned.

Atlanta could make the announcement official at the GM meetings, which begin Monday. The Braves have been operating without a GM since John Coppolella resigned following disclosure of improprieties in international scouting.

The Braves’ first choice to run baseball operations was Royals GM Dayton Moore. But Kansas City owner David Glass never gave permission to Moore to even interview for the position.

Anthopoulos emerged as Plan B beating out Jim Hendry, a Yankees special assistant to Brian Cashman. Dodgers executive Josh Byrnes and former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd also interviewed for the position.

If Moore had been able to jump to the Braves, where he worked from 1994-2006, it was expected that current president of baseball operations John Hart would have been removed.

For now it looks as if Hart will survive the scandal that cost, so far, Coppolella and international scouting head Gordon Blakely their jobs. However, while preserving his title, he will serve mainly as an adviser and figurehead with Anthopoulos receiving final decision-making powers in baseball operations.

Hart does continue to have the ear of Braves chairman/CEO Terry McGuirk and — of all the candidates — he recommended Anthopoulos. Braves vice chairman John Schuerholz was believed to have at least initially backed Hendry, the former Cubs GM who has been a special assistant to Cashman since 2012.

What has cast uncertainty over the whole matter is that MLB continues to investigate the Braves and it is expected major sanctions will be levied before next month’s winter meetings.

Coppolella resigned last month after MLB revealed there were infractions involving the Braves’ pursuit of international amateurs. It is believed the scope of that investigation has grown and could lead to the loss of internationally signed players, draft picks and substantial money through fines.

Nevertheless, the Braves GM job is viewed as attractive, mainly because the organization has one of the majors’ deepest bases of well-regarded prospects.