ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves have agreed to a contract extension with general manager Alex Anthopoulos that will keep him with the six-time reigning National League East champions through the 2031 season.
The team announced the deal Friday, locking up the GM who oversaw a World Series championship in 2021 and has been responsible for securing long-term contracts with many of Atlanta’s top players.
Anthopoulos was hired by the Braves after the 2017 season, when the organization had endured four straight losing seasons and was mired in a scandal related to international signings. His predecessor, John Coppolella, was initially banned for life by Major League Baseball, a penalty that was lifted a year ago.
With Anthopoulos at the helm, the Braves began their current run of division titles in 2018. In 2023, Atlanta led MLB with 104 regular-season wins before being knocked out in an NL Division Series for the second year in a row by the Philadelphia Phillies, who finished 14 games behind the Braves both times.
The 46-year-old Anthopoulos thanked Braves CEO Terry McGuirk “for his continued support and trust.”
“The Braves are an incredible organization to be a part of, and I’m proud of the success we’ve achieved together,” Anthopoulos said in a team release. “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead baseball operations and to strive to bring another World Series to Atlanta.”
His previous contract with the Braves was announced in February 2020 and was to have run through the 2024 season.
Anthopoulos has constructed a roster that appears set up for the long haul. The core of the team, led by reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., has been signed to multiyear deals, many considerably favorable to the team.
Acuña, the right fielder who in 2023 became the first player in MLB history with 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in a season, has a contract with club options that could keep him in Atlanta through 2028. Others are tied to the Braves even longer, including third baseman Austin Riley, center fielder Michael Harris II, first baseman Matt Olson, starting pitcher Spencer Strider and catcher Sean Murphy.
Anthopoulos was praised for his moves ahead of the 2021 trade deadline, which essentially brought a whole new outfield to Atlanta at little cost. Adam Duvall, Joc Pedersen, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler played pivotal roles in the team’s first World Series title since 1995 and just the Braves’ second since moving from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966.
“Alex and I have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship, and I look forward to that continuing for many years to come,” McGuirk said in the release. “I have been around this game a very long time and know that Alex’s track record of success is truly something special. There is simply no one better in the business.”
McGuirk added that the extension gives Anthopoulos “the runway to make long-term decisions and the opportunity to continue his track record of assembling teams that are perennial contenders.”
“I have the utmost confidence in his ability to deliver championship baseball for our fans well into the future,” McGuirk said.
Before joining the Braves, Anthopoulos spent six seasons as general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays and two seasons as vice president of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers.