Moore likely staying in KC as Braves name Hart
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With John Hart’s acceptance Thursday of the position of president of baseball operations with the Braves, Royals general manager Dayton Moore, who had widely been seen as a frontrunner for a top Braves job, will surely remain in Kansas City as its general manager.
The Braves are still seen as very likely to hire a general manager under Hart, but Moore, already in charge of baseball operations with the Royals, wouldn’t be a candidate for what amounts to a lower job, the No. 2 spot in Atlanta. Moore, a former Braves executive and scout who is very close to Braves president John Schuerholz and Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox from his 12 years in Atlanta, has the Royals in their first World Series in 29 years.
Schuerholz, Hart’s best friend in the business, spent these past few weeks convincing Hart to stay, and with the blessing of his wife, Hart finally relented. Hart has said to have enjoyed the “team building process” that was undergoing, as he led a remake of the front office that included a reorgainzation and the hiring of some key top scouts, like Gordon Blakeley of the Yankees and Roy Clark, who left the Dodgers to return to Atlanta.
With a focus on Hart, and Moore busy with a World Series team, word is that no official overture was ever made to Moore, who deferred all questions regarding the situation while his team was on its playoff run. Some people suggested, though, that Moore might have had the job had he sent signals expressing interest through backdoor channels, but Moore remained focused on the Royals. Had Kansas City not gone on its mazing playoff run, things might have been different; at least there would have been opportunity for conversation.
Moore originally left the Braves in 2006 for the chance to become a general manager and see what he could do on as his own, and he built the team, mostly through pitching and defense, to become a contender by last year, and now a World Series participant. Moore had some Midwest roots and his older daughter recently started college near Kansas City, so he wasn’t necessarily looking to leave.
The Braves haven’t said they will hire a GM, but it’s hard to imagine Hart, at 66, giving up what he describes as a “perfect life” to make calls day to day. One candidate for the GM spot would seem to be the team’s assistant GM John Coppolella, who is well-respected throughout the Braves organization and would fit the mold of Hart’s past proteges, who have included Mark Shapiro, Dan O’Dowd, Chris Antonetti, Neal Huntington and Jon Daniels.
Hart, only interim GM until Thursday’s announcement, surprised some of his friends by accepting a larger role. but one noted that the way it ended in Texas after so much previous success may have “left a bitter taste.”
Moore still has two years remaining on his Royals deal, and while owner David Glass isn’t obligated to extend his deal, that’s always a possibility after a fabulous postseason run like this. Glass guaranteed in an interview with CBSSports.com that Moore would be back following the ALCS sweep of the Orioles, saying the GM “absolutely” would remain in Kansas City. Turns out Glass was correct.
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