Braves name Anthopoulos new general manager

Former Toronto Blue Jays general manager and Montreal native Alex Anthopoulos was named executive vice-president and general manager of the Atlanta Braves on Monday. Photo Credit: Dave Goldman, AP.

November 13, 2017

Official Atlanta Braves Press Release

Atlanta Braves Chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk announced on Monday that the club has tabbed Alex Anthopoulos as the club's executive vice president and general manager.

Anthopoulos, a Montreal native, agreed to terms on a four-year contract that will run through the 2021 season and he will report directly to McGuirk. In addition, McGuirk announced that President of Baseball Operations John Hart will relinquish his active involvement in baseball operations and will move into the role of senior advisor to the Atlanta Braves, effective immediately.

Anthopoulos becomes the 12th Braves general manager since the franchise moved to Atlanta in 1966. In 2017, he completed his second season as the Los Angeles Dodgers' vice president of baseball operations after joining the club in January 2016.

"The past few months have been the toughest in our storied history," McGuirk said. "We are excited to have Alex lead our baseball operations team and begin a bright, new chapter for our organization. We chose Alex because he is of the highest character and has a wealth of MLB leadership experience. He is one of the elite baseball executives in our industry and is the perfect person to lead us to a World Series."

Prior to joining the Dodgers, Anthopoulos spent six seasons as the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager, which culminated in an American League East title in 2015 to snap Toronto's 22-year postseason drought. Anthopoulos was selected as Sporting News' MLB Executive of the Year that season.

He originally joined Toronto following the 2003 season as a scouting coordinator and earned a promotion to vice president, baseball operations and assistant general manager in 2006 before taking over as GM on October 3, 2009.

Anthopoulos, 40, began his baseball career with the Montreal Expos as a media relations intern in 2000 before transitioning to international scouting and serving as Montreal's coordinator for amateur and professional scouting for the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

A native of Montreal, Anthopoulos is fluent in English and French, and he also speaks some Spanish and Greek, which he utilized in helping to assemble the Greek national team for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Anthopoulos studied economics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

He and his wife, Cristina, have a daughter, Julia, and a son, John.