John Schuerholz steps down. WOW.

by abbreviatedman on Oct 11, 2007 12:16 PM EDT

Ken Rosenthal, via Rotoworld:

The Braves have called a Thursday press conference for 3:30 p.m. EST, with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reporting that general manager John Schuerholz is expected to step down.

According to Rosenthal, long-time assistant Frank Wren is likely to replace him, but this is a big blow to the Braves. Schuerholz is a no-doubt Hall of Famer and one of the most successful GMs in baseball history.

All I can say is, wow. This is the end of an era, a much bigger story than Joe Torre potentially leaving (the big story now), and probably bigger than any GM leaving in recent history. If Schuerholz is leaving on his own, that's a shame, and if he's being pressured to step down, it's an even bigger shame. No idea which it is yet, or why. Hopefully more info after the press conference.

Tweet Comment 31 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

St. Louis

Oh please, please, please.

by siddfynch on Oct 11, 2007 12:06 PM EDT reply actions

wowwwww

i'm shocked

by JD Sussman on Oct 11, 2007 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

noooooooooooo

he's staying on as president, it appears, so don't go getting your hopes up. Shocked its this offseason, I think all braves fans thought it would be next year for he and Cox

dayton, why did you leave us, would one more year really have hurt that much?

by abravesfan on Oct 11, 2007 12:22 PM EDT reply actions

Damn

TR and Schuerholz they were both at their positions a really long time John was longer but still.

1941 .406

by FrozenTed9 on Oct 11, 2007 12:50 PM EDT reply actions

JS

I'm pretty sure he hinted this at points during this season. The main reason why he got Big Tex...

by fasterblade on Oct 11, 2007 12:56 PM EDT reply actions

Changes in NL

Wow.

With this and Jocketty getting outed, the NL just lost two guys who actually know what they're doing in the front office, instead of re-treads who've never really made a great move in their careers.

Does that make Towers now the longest tenured GM in the NL, followed by Sabean?

I'm proud to have seen #756

by Azantor on Oct 11, 2007 1:40 PM EDT reply actions

Jocketty was outed?

Who knew?

by siddfynch on Oct 11, 2007 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions

not that

there is anything wrong with that...

You realize that prospect lists have a time horizon of like 5-10 years, not 5-10 days, right?

by slurve on Oct 11, 2007 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions

LaGoofy?

Is that you?

by siddfynch on Oct 11, 2007 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Ha

No, just a little Seinfeld reference...

You realize that prospect lists have a time horizon of like 5-10 years, not 5-10 days, right?

by slurve on Oct 11, 2007 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Well,

the cat was out of the bag when he hired Glenn Burke as his "special assistant".

by Steve F on Oct 11, 2007 1:53 PM EDT reply actions

Ouch.

Strike that remark. I forgot Burke died in 1995.

by Steve F on Oct 11, 2007 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions

So

with JS taking a step back, does this mean more personnel from the Braves will take the trip west to join Dayton Moore in KC?

Granted, JS is still staying on board in some capacity, but it seems like the classic Braves hierarchy is starting to crumble a bit. I wonder if guys like Roy Clark, Paul Snyder, or Terry Pendleton will be looking elsewhere.

by Bowser on Oct 11, 2007 2:12 PM EDT reply actions

If

There are guys in the front office that respected Moore more (lol) than Wren, you better believe a few more guys will be taking the trip.

I know KC and ATL had a deal that DM wouldn't take anyone from ATL unless they had Schuerholz approval. I think that lasts 2 years from the day DM was hired, but maybe that deal is void now?

by doublestix on Oct 11, 2007 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I remember hearing the same thing

about the 2 year window, but why didn't that apply to Rene Francisco or Bill Fisher?

by Bowser on Oct 11, 2007 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Done

The Braves are. First Mazzone, now Scheurholz, and next year it'll be Cox.

With the Big 3 gone, the Mets, Phils, and rest of the National League have to be licking their chops. Without those 3 guys, the Braves are just another mid-market team with an $85M payroll.

by Yakker on Oct 11, 2007 2:13 PM EDT reply actions

Perhaps down the line...

But just looking ahead to next year, the Braves still look to be a very competitive team. Moreover, why are we writing off Frank Wren so easily? He's oft been mentioned as a potential GM, and having spent so long at the foot of a HOF'r like Schuerholz, I'd imagine that there's a very distinct possibility that Wren will capably fill Schuerholz's shoes. Besides, with today's move, I'd presume it makes it a bit easier for Tom Glavine (still a very capable 3-4 starter) to go join Hudson, Smoltz, and James for what should be a very solid rotation in Atlanta.

by GuyinNY on Oct 11, 2007 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Perhaps

Frank Wren can successfully replace a Hall of Fame general manager, but the odds are not IMO in his favor.

by Yakker on Oct 14, 2007 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions

Don't go crazy yet

ESPN is reporting that he'll now hold the title of "team president". What it looks like to me is that he's slowly transitioning out of his role with the organization and moving towards retirement. I'm glad he's doing it this way, letting Wren get his feet wet while Schurholtz is still around to help him out.

It was going to happen sooner or later, it's just disappointing it happened now.

Also worth mentioning is that TBS is now officially done being the "The Braves Station". Truely the end of an era.

But let's hope Smoltz and Chipper can bring us one last pennant next year.

by mraver on Oct 11, 2007 2:45 PM EDT reply actions

Well

Since it looks like Wren's going to be handling the day-to-day work, as well as presumably the Boras negotiations, I don't see JS having too much to do going forward, other than sort of being an "elder statesman." Better than nothing, but it's still a bad day for the Braves, IMO.

by Yakker on Oct 11, 2007 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't trust Wren

He got fired from baltimore and was responsible for Albert Belle signing there.

by Bravesin07 on Oct 11, 2007 3:04 PM EDT reply actions

And....

He also traded for BJ Ryan.

I'm not sure how much he had to do with the drafts, but in 1999 the team drafted Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard. Plus, Daniel Cabrera was a INTL FA signee.

And, it's kind of hard to judge Albert Belle's signing, since he had Osteoarthritis, so who knows how good he would have been if he was healthy.

by omambiyick on Oct 11, 2007 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Plus...

Angelos is crazy.

by omambiyick on Oct 11, 2007 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions

LOL

This is without a doubt the best thing that can happen to the Mets this offseason.

by sagecoll on Oct 11, 2007 4:18 PM EDT reply actions

Yet the Mets refuse to go young and will sign

more over the hill players.

by Bravesin07 on Oct 11, 2007 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Because you know.

Talkin' Sports

by BlackOps on Oct 11, 2007 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Really are we going to start with the silly

assumptions again? I think they'll fill out their lineup/roster with vets, but I think they've seen the error of their ways with what occurred this year.

They might not go after guys in their 40's, but they'll go for guys a decade younger...

It's not like they can sign a superstar every year...

"When Justin Upton faces Lincecum, I think Christ might appear in the heavens, and the world will end." -JakeFree

by JT12340 on Oct 13, 2007 4:30 AM EDT up reply actions

No need

to hit the panic button just yet, the thought was all along that this was happening next year. So the organization was ready for it, and Wren has been handling the contract negotiations for the last few years anyway.

The hot speculation is that he stepped down this year to give the Braves a chance to sign Glavine this offseason, and to make things smoother next year when they negotiate with Boras over Texeira.

Schuerholz is in more of a caretaker role, and will surely have to sign off on the major decisions.

by JFP on Oct 11, 2007 4:45 PM EDT reply actions

A lot of that makes sense

And who knows. Maybe we'll even be willing to offer AJ arbitration (which I think is almost win-win move for the franchise, and is something that Schurholtz would never have done). I'm fine with someone else handling the contract negotiations. JS's forte had always been on the trade front, and I feel that even in a reduced role, he'll be able to make some positive contributions to the team.

Still, it's a shame Moore left a little over a year ago. I'd have liked having him as our GM more than Wren.

by mraver on Oct 11, 2007 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

No way

There's just no way they are getting burned again in arbitration. Give up the Andruw hope, he's gone.

by JFP on Oct 12, 2007 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions

wow

I can't believe im saying this, but I wish the Astros had held onto Purpura a little longer so they could have a shot at getting him. Needless to say, I think I'm a bit more impressed with his resume than I am with Ed Wade's.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle

by bobbsktball on Oct 11, 2007 9:20 PM EDT reply actions