Major League Baseball

Gonzalez's future as Braves manager not guaranteed

Published Sep. 22, 2014 6:36 p.m. ET

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Zach Dillard

ATLANTA -- Fredi Gonzalez's phone rang shortly after 10:30 on Monday morning. Braves president John Schuerholz was on the line, calling to confirm the firing of general manager Frank Wren after 15 years with the organization.

Gonzalez took a few minutes to collect his thoughts -- on the four seasons the two operated together as the public faces of the team's management contingent, including the 2014 season which has quickly devolved into a disappointment -- before making his own phone call to Wren. The Braves manager characterized it as a "somber" conversation. And before the Braves' three-man front of Schuerholz, interim GM John Hart and Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox addressed the media on the decision, Gonzalez ate lunch with Cox, his mentor and one of his staunchest supporters, in the clubhouse.

From there, Gonzalez's routine hit a level of normalcy. He pieced together and released his Monday night lineup against the Pirates. He met with media members in the home dugout at his traditional 4 p.m. start time. He warmed up his right arm to toss batting practice balls behind a screen a couple yards shy of the pitcher's mound. 

The next few weeks will be anything but normal for Gonzalez, though.

"Nothing's guaranteed," Gonzalez said, referencing his job security.

With the news coming down that the organization moved to let go of Wren and assistant general manager Bruce Manno came the inevitable follow-up: a replacement needs to be found. Schuerholz, Hart and Cox presented a united front in saying that while Hart could in fact be a candidate for the job, they will conduct an extensive search. Hart said they could look to a list of 20 to 25 names, including in-house favorite John Coppellela, who served as assistant GM under Wren.

And no matter who takes the job, this remains clear: the next general manager will have a say -- perhaps the final say -- in whether Gonzalez will manage his fifth season in Atlanta.

"There were other considerations on whether we retain a manager or not when we made this decision. It wasn't just narrowed down to, 'Who will we have make the decision about our manager?' It's far broader than that," said Schuerholz, who served as the Braves' general manager from 1990 to 2007. "I think whoever the new general manager is ought to have that opportunity (to evaluate Gonzalez) and that responsibility."

Hart, who joined the franchise as a special assistant after working as an analyst for MLB Network and previously serving as general manager for the Indians and Rangers, agreed with Schuerholz's assessment.

While there was obvious public support from Cox -- when asked if Gonzalez should retain his job, Cox answered, "Yes. Absolutely." -- a decision on the managerial front will not come until after the season.

"I don't think this is the time for us to evaluate. Certainly the (new) general manager is going to have some input into it, but you heard Bobby at the dais. There's no ill will here towards Fredi. He's a terrific guy and I don't think that anybody's coming in here looking at anybody square in the crosshairs or anything like that. That's not the point," Hart said. "I don't want to put the cart before the horse here with Fredi, but I can sincerely say that, look, nobody's happy with 76 wins or however it goes. First of all Fredi, for sure.

"I think there's a lot of other decisions that are going to be baked into the cake when you make your managerial evaluations."

Gonzalez has been through a similar process once before, although it came at midseason during his tenure with the Marlins. He says he understands the process and the nature of such proceedings, though hearing the support from the front office was encouraging.

"I'm not nervous," Gonzalez said. "Heck, you get evaluated every day, really. Usually it's wins and losses and the way you handle yourself. It's not like all of a sudden you're gonna pick up the (accounting) books and you're stealing money or your expense account is messed up. As a coach or a manager, you get evaluated every single day. And I mean every single day in this sport. Sometimes every single pitch."

Despite the current sub-.500 tailspin, Gonzalez owns one of the best overall records in baseball since taking over for Cox. The Braves are 355-286 under his watch, though similar success did not save Wren's job. Before this season, the Braves were on a run of 85-plus wins in five straight seasons under Wren, all while never operating with a top-10 Opening Day payroll. Few teams did more with less.

Still, postseason shortcomings remain a black mark on the franchise as it has reached the postseason just three times since its record run of 14 consecutive division titles ended in 2006. Even dating back to the Cox Era, Atlanta has not advanced to the National League Championship Series since 2001. There were seven seasons of 90 or more wins over that stretch.

"We know we didn't achieve what we wanted to. We did not live up to expectations," said Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, who said he supports bringing Gonzalez back. "He's been our leader since 2011, taken us to the playoffs multiple times. He has a very keen eye for baseball."

Gonzalez could be in for a waiting game this offseason, though.

The search for the next GM could be a process that stretches out over the course of several weeks or even months, and even if a decision is reached there's a general understanding between MLB clubs not to make announcements during marquee MLB events, such as the playoffs. The Braves would preferably like to have someone in place before the league's GM meetings in early November, and especially the Winter Meetings in early December.

Since that hire will have to predate any evaluation or announcement on Gonzalez, there looks to be a notable amount of time for the Braves manager to sit in limbo. He's got a pretty powerful name in his corner, and that can not be overlooked in this situation, but the organization is also talking of evaluating the club from top to bottom -- a potential cleaning of the house.

For his part, Gonzalez wants to be a part of the new regime, to help get things back on the right track.

"I love Atlanta. I love our organization. I'd love to get another shot at it, like anybody else would. We'll see what happens," Gonzalez said. "Over the course of this winter, for me looking forward, I'd like to be here. I want to be here and I think that we've got a lot of work to do."

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