Braves hire Alex Anthopoulos as general manager

The Braves will announce Alex Anthopoulos as general manager, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The move will be announced during this week’s GM meetings in Orlando.

Anthopoulos, 40, will have full decision-making power for Atlanta while president of baseball operations will remain with the organization in an advisory role. The gig will be Anthopoulos’ second time running baseball operations for an organization, as he served as the general manager of the Blue Jays from October 2009 to October 2015.

Anthopoulos, who most recently has served as the Dodgers vice president of baseball operations, will replace John Coppolella, who resigned from his post at the end of the season amid an MLB investigation into a variety of alleged infractions by the Braves front office. Atlanta is still awaiting a ruling from the league in that case, though the club will now begin its offseason plan in earnest with a new front office leader in place.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore was long viewed as a potential frontrunner to take over in Atlanta, but Kansas City never expressed a willingness to let Moore discuss a position with the Braves. Anthopoulos and ex-Cubs general manager Jim Hendry were viewed as the favorites in Atlanta once it became clear Moore was not an option.

Under Anthopoulos’ watch, the Jays posted an overall 489-483 record while winning the AL East in 2015. Anthopoulos was named Executive of the Year by The Sporting News in 2015 but rejected an extension offer from Toronto after the season and joined the Dodgers three months later.