Braves protect Brian Snitker’s job, pin blame for lackluster season on GM Alex Anthopoulos
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about it,” Snitker said. “I’m not 100 percent sure which direction I want to go. I still feel like there’s some unfinished business.”
Strong words from the manager, especially considering this is the final year of his contract and the Braves are coming off their worst season. With all this, it could be the moment when the Braves decide it’s time to move on.
“Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year—even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan,” Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote. “At 69, though, he’s already the oldest manager in the National League by a several-year margin and was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.”
However, this might be far from the end if Snitker wants to return, as much of the blame for the disappointing season should fall on GM Alex Anthopoulos.
“Brian Snitker is the last of the Braves’ worries, and his track record of success has earned him a lot of good grace with the organization. If he really has a desire to manage again in 2026, it’s hard to see a world where the Braves say, ‘Good riddance,’” wrote Sportstalk ATL’s Chase Irle. “If blame must be assigned, it’s hard to ignore the offseason decisions of general manager Alex Anthopoulos. Atlanta entered 2025 with glaring needs at shortstop, in the rotation, bullpen, and outfield — and none were adequately addressed.”
Snitker has been with the organization too long for the Braves to simply part ways. That’s why he wants to go out on top—or at least on a high note—not end his career in a season where things never quite clicked. If Snitker stays, the next chapter is all his.
