Veteran right fielder Jose Bautista has signed a minor league deal with Atlanta Braves, the team has announced on Wednesday. Bautista will play third base for the Braves if he earns a spot on the 40-man roster. In that case, the 37-year-old will receive one-year, $1 million deal.

“The hope is he shows he’s capable of being a good player who can help us win games,” – said Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos. “If that happens, he’ll come up and play third base for us. Hopefully, things work out.“

The two previously worked together from 2009 to 2015, when Anthopoulos served as GM for Toronto Blue Jays and Bautista was the team’s biggest star.

“There are certain things you know you’re going to get with Jose,” – Anthopoulos added. “He’s going to be in tremendous shape. He’s going to work hard and study hard. He comes to win, and he plays to win.“

Jose Bautista played his best baseball with the Blue Jays, earning six consecutive All-Star appearances (2010–2015), and being the league’s home run leader on two occasions (2010, 2011). He also has two Hank Aaron Awards and three Silver Slugger honors. During the last two seasons, however, Bautista’s production significantly dropped, finishing 2017 with .203 batting average, 23 home runs, and 65 RBIs.

Still, the Braves hope Bautista can turn around his luck and give a contribution to the team.

“I learned long ago, you don’t bet against this guy,” – said Anthopoulos. “He’s very proud and very determined. He’s somebody I’ve always said would play into his 40s. I can’t speak to what happened last year with him. He’ll be the first person to tell you he didn’t play well. He’s very accountable and expects more of himself. By taking this deal, he’s made the decision to bet on himself.“

The post Slugger Jose Bautista Signs a Minor League Deal with Atlanta Braves appeared first on SportzBonanza.

ESPN has reported that the Atlanta Braves GM John Coppolella has resigned on Monday after MLB opened an investigation to look into whether the franchise broke international signing rules. The Braves have also confirmed the information on their Twitter account while releasing a statement in which the team gave further details about the issue.

Atlanta Braves General Manager John Coppolella has resigned from his position, effective immediately. The resignation comes as a result of a breach of Major League Baseball rules regarding the international player market.
“Major League Baseball is investigating the matter with our full cooperation and support,” said John Hart, Braves President of Baseball Operations. “We will not be issuing any further comment until the investigation is complete.”
The organization will begin an immediate search for Coppolella’s replacement and Hart will perform the GM duties until a replacement is named.

According to sources, the breach of international signing rules was discovered by MLB in a much larger investigation on Coppolella that also included Atlanta’s domestic draft practices and Coppolella’s treatment of team employees.

John Coppolella, 38 years old, has started his career in the MLB taking the internship with the New York Yankees. He previously turned down the job offer from Intel. After 6 years with the Yankees (2000-2006), Coppolella became a director of baseball operations for the Atlanta Braves. He held the position until 2011 when he served as a director of professional scouting. In 2012, Coppolella assumed the role of assistant general manager, before being named Braves’ general manager in 2015 and signing a 4-year deal.
Under Coppolella, the Braves didn’t grow into the winning franchise, but that time should come sooner than later. He is credited with building one of the best farm systems in the world of sport and building up a roster that secured the future of the franchise.

The post Atlanta Braves GM John Coppolella Resigns Amid an Investigation appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Veteran right fielder Jose Bautista has signed a minor league deal with Atlanta Braves, the team has announced on Wednesday. Bautista will play third base for the Braves if he earns a spot on the 40-man roster. In that case, the 37-year-old will receive one-year, $1 million deal.

“The hope is he shows he’s capable of being a good player who can help us win games,” – said Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos. “If that happens, he’ll come up and play third base for us. Hopefully, things work out.“

The two previously worked together from 2009 to 2015, when Anthopoulos served as GM for Toronto Blue Jays and Bautista was the team’s biggest star.

“There are certain things you know you’re going to get with Jose,” – Anthopoulos added. “He’s going to be in tremendous shape. He’s going to work hard and study hard. He comes to win, and he plays to win.“

Jose Bautista played his best baseball with the Blue Jays, earning six consecutive All-Star appearances (2010–2015), and being the league’s home run leader on two occasions (2010, 2011). He also has two Hank Aaron Awards and three Silver Slugger honors. During the last two seasons, however, Bautista’s production significantly dropped, finishing 2017 with .203 batting average, 23 home runs, and 65 RBIs.

Still, the Braves hope Bautista can turn around his luck and give a contribution to the team.

“I learned long ago, you don’t bet against this guy,” – said Anthopoulos. “He’s very proud and very determined. He’s somebody I’ve always said would play into his 40s. I can’t speak to what happened last year with him. He’ll be the first person to tell you he didn’t play well. He’s very accountable and expects more of himself. By taking this deal, he’s made the decision to bet on himself.“

The post Slugger Jose Bautista Signs a Minor League Deal with Atlanta Braves appeared first on SportzBonanza.

ESPN has reported that the Atlanta Braves GM John Coppolella has resigned on Monday after MLB opened an investigation to look into whether the franchise broke international signing rules. The Braves have also confirmed the information on their Twitter account while releasing a statement in which the team gave further details about the issue.

Atlanta Braves General Manager John Coppolella has resigned from his position, effective immediately. The resignation comes as a result of a breach of Major League Baseball rules regarding the international player market.
“Major League Baseball is investigating the matter with our full cooperation and support,” said John Hart, Braves President of Baseball Operations. “We will not be issuing any further comment until the investigation is complete.”
The organization will begin an immediate search for Coppolella’s replacement and Hart will perform the GM duties until a replacement is named.

According to sources, the breach of international signing rules was discovered by MLB in a much larger investigation on Coppolella that also included Atlanta’s domestic draft practices and Coppolella’s treatment of team employees.

John Coppolella, 38 years old, has started his career in the MLB taking the internship with the New York Yankees. He previously turned down the job offer from Intel. After 6 years with the Yankees (2000-2006), Coppolella became a director of baseball operations for the Atlanta Braves. He held the position until 2011 when he served as a director of professional scouting. In 2012, Coppolella assumed the role of assistant general manager, before being named Braves’ general manager in 2015 and signing a 4-year deal.
Under Coppolella, the Braves didn’t grow into the winning franchise, but that time should come sooner than later. He is credited with building one of the best farm systems in the world of sport and building up a roster that secured the future of the franchise.

The post Atlanta Braves GM John Coppolella Resigns Amid an Investigation appeared first on SportzBonanza.