On Tuesday morning, the Atlanta Braves made it official – interim manager Brian Snitker would have the “interim” tag pulled off his title, and he’d be the club’s full-time manager going into the 2017 season.
The Atlanta #Braves today named Brian Snitker as the club's manager and announced the 2017 coaching staff! pic.twitter.com/u3wGSEvMPR
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 11, 2016
Of note is that Snitker’s contract isn’t anything that could be considered long-term: it’s a one-year deal with an option for 2018. This is the same type of contract former Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez received in July of 2015 before he was axed by the team this May.
One year deals, with or without an option year, are becoming more prevalent for managers: Walt Weiss got one from the Rockies when they hired him in November of 2012, while the Phillies initially gave Pete Mackanin one year with an option after hiring him full-time in September of 2015 (though Mackanin had his contract extended by a year this past March, essentially turning it into a two-year deal with an option).
The word of the day to describe Snitker’s hiring? Safe. Giving Snitker the full-time job after he did so well (relatively speaking: his 59-65 record after taking over was middle of the pack, but the Braves were still outscored by 63 runs in those 124 games) eliminates the risk of a player and fan revolt (not that fan opinion does, or should, matter).
And next spring, if the Braves struggle or, on the other side of the coin, get off to a strong start, the team is in an enviable decision. Had they hired someone from outside the organization and watched him go 9-28 to start the season, the Braves would be left wondering if they had made the right choice and if their process was flawed. Fans would be pissed. The players probably would be pissed. But if Snitker gets off to a start that poorly, the Braves can simply move on from him and I think everyone would understand why, especially given that he’s on just a one-year deal.
Snitker’s staff is loaded with managerial experience and potential: new third base coach Ron Washington took the Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances, while first base coach Eddie Perez has been a popular managerial candidate for years and bench coach Terry Pendleton has been the subject of managerial rumblings for longer than even Perez.
So in short? This is fine. I’m okay with the events that are unfolding currently. That’s okay, things are going to be okay.
I don’t think Brian Snitker is the long-term answer for the Braves. But as we’ve seen in Arizona and Houston, it’s much better to simply go with a placeholder for a year or two than to put your eggs all in one basket and have to re-evaluate your “long-term” choice just a couple of years down the road. Imagine if the Braves hired someone like say, Perez, and in mid-2018, realized that he was out of his depth, and they needed to go in a new direction. That would be a disaster, and would just set back their hopes of contending.
If Snitker can’t repeat his magic from the second half during the 2017 season, no one would be surprised – the Braves can cut their losses, move on, and continue looking for who the long-term answer at manager really is.
