Have Braves identified replacement for manager they haven’t fired?
As we noted last week, Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez sits high on the list of skippers who are at risk of being fired during or immediately following the 2016 season.
With the Braves rebuilding ahead of their move to SunTrust Park, there’s really no question they’ll be going a different direction at Gonzalez’s position. And with the team predictably struggling out of the gate (7-20), it’s a matter of when, not if, that decision is made.
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It’s an awkward position for Gonzalez to be in. He’s essentially a lame-duck manager overseeing an operation that isn’t focused on the job he’s doing. Along those same lines, it can’t be easy to show up day after day not knowing whether it will be the last.
Now, it’s likely to get even more uncomfortable based on this tweet from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on Wednesday.
It’s one thing to know the end is near. It’s quite another to learn your current employer may have already identified your replacement while you continue showing up to work and giving your best effort.
Even if there’s no basis to the rumor, it’s a pretty stiff reminder of Gonzalez’s reality. For a guy who was already once fired mid-season, as Gonzalez was with the Miami Marlins in 2010, it could even serve as a punch in the gut. At that time, Gonzalez’s Marlins were coming off two winning seasons and were 34-36, meaning they were far from dead. However, owner Jeffrey Loria reportedly had his sights on Bobby Valentine for a partnership that would never become a reality.
Still though, Gonzalez doesn’t seem fazed by history repeating itself. Or at least he’s not letting the Braves see it.
“I come in every day with the mindset that I am not letting any of that stuff bother me,” Gonzalez told the media before Wednesday’s game at Citi Field.
[Elsewhere: Andrew McCutchen calls for official scorer to be fired after error]
Maybe it doesn’t bother him. Maybe Gonzalez finds a way to block it all out and concentrate on a task that still matters to him. But it’s still pretty painful to watch from the outside looking in.
We can debate the job he’s done in Atlanta. We can debate whether or not Bud Black or someone else is a better fit for the Braves. What we can’t debate is that Gonzalez has been once again put in a position that no one envies.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
