Something you never want to read about a manager is that he’s lost the clubhouse. It’s generally the death rattle of his tenure with the organization. But what if that manager and his coaching staff is less than two months removed from receiving contract extensions – are they still in danger?
Well, we’re about to find out, because according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Fredi Gonzalez has lost the Atlanta Braves clubhouse. Gonzalez and his coaching staff received extensions through the 2016 season on July 17th.
One theory on why the Braves extended manager Fredi Gonzalez through next season is that they wanted him to serve as a one-year bridge to the opening of their new ballpark in 2017. Once Gonzalez completed that task, the team could thank him for his services, then enter the new park with a more heralded manager.
Such an idea makes sense, considering that ’16 probably is a lost cause for the Braves, anyway. But I’ve been hearing all season that players are frustrated with Gonzalez, that he essentially has lost the clubhouse. If that is the case, why should president of baseball operations John Hart wait to make a change? And why did he give Gonzalez an extension in the first place?
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If the youngsters are not improving and the veterans are disenchanted, shouldn’t the Braves at least examine whether Gonzalez is part of the problem?
The Braves talk about becoming the next Royals, the next Pirates, the next Astros, the next Cubs. All of that is fine, but with their trades they essentially purchased one tech stock after another. Some will hit, some will not, but lots of luck if the plan is to compete by ’17. And if the manager is doing more harm than good.
On the 17th, the Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 4-2 to improve to 43-47, seven games behind the Nationals in the NL East. Since then, with the trade deadline coming and going, the Braves have slogged their way to an MLB-worst 12-36 record, and have been outscored by an incredible 136 runs in those 48 games. They’re now 21.5 games out in the NL East.
Should Atlanta’s awful year all be pinned on Gonzalez? No, of course not. The Braves have been outscored in every month this season, and had a winning record in just one. The team’s pitching staff has been so bad that Gonzalez has been forced to use 35 pitchers (including Jonny Gomes for an inning) and nine different starters. 12 different players have played in the outfield, nine of which have logged over 100 innings of playing time.
But the Braves front office also made numerous moves before and during the season with the dirty word “chemistry” in mind. That’s why they signed Jonny Gomes and AJ Pierzynski. That was one of the reasons they invested four years and $44 million into Nick Markakis. That’s part of the reason they traded for the contracts of Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. And when the manager still can’t keep the clubhouse on his side, despite all of those chemistry-focused moves, he simply can’t be given a pass because of a contract extension, or injuries, or a poorly constructed roster.
