The culture that the Atlanta Braves have created in their clubhouse is one topic they discuss frequently. The guys they have been bringing in, almost all of them, are committed to the winning culture and upholding harmony in the clubhouse in order to achieve it. The Braves have been able to sign players to these team-friendly deals for a reason. Guys want to play in Atlanta because they know the city will take care of them and there won’t be any fuss.
Regretfully, not all players who are available are the best people in the world. Baseball history is replete with players who were seen as clubhouse tumors while having skill at the game. But general manager Alex Anthopoulos has absolutely no interest in such men. In response to a recent question on whether or not he would consider signing a guy who is a jerk, he offered Braves fans an intriguing riddle to work out in addition to expressing how much he values character.
The Braves are a better team because they don’t like to sign clubhouse cancers.
Above all, this response is quite insightful and highlights a major factor in the Braves’ remarkable performance under Anthopoulos. Teams have made numerous attempts in the past to purchase victories, but whenever things don’t go their way, loudmouths and inflated egos tend to take over the clubhouse. Atlanta has done an amazing job developing players who just get it together and adding quality through trades, free agency, and player development.
When AA claimed that a current Braves player effectively canceled a trade deadline deal this past year because the club did not want any part of the trade target’s character, it is also entertaining to speculate about who AA could have been referring to. He also failed to respond.
Due to his easygoing personality and the fact that he smacked Joc Pederson prior to a game over a fantasy football deal, Tommy Pham has been mentioned as a potential on social media. Nevertheless, considering that the Braves were primarily looking for pitchers at the trade deadline last year, the Braves’ true fit at that time seems a little questionable. If someone were to accept AA’s challenge to reverse engineer the options, they could be better off cross-referencing Braves players who have played for other clubs with free agency starters and relievers.
