It’s a given that most professional sports teams are tight-lipped when it comes to organizational decisions. John Coppolella, the general manager for the Atlanta Braves, provided a refreshing change.
In a Twitter conversation with fans on Friday afternoon, Coppolella openly answered questions that ranged from personnel moves to tanking to food preferences.
Despite being obvious sellers heading into the trade deadline, he denied any possibility of the team dealing away top pitcher Julio Teheran and first baseman Freddie Freeman.
Yes. I don’t see us trading Teheran at this point, he’s almost into “right-arm” type status for us now. https://t.co/mnVUH3fEXh
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 24, 2016
Additionally, Coppolella also revealed the thought processes within his front office with regards to player evaluation.
Do you think defensive ratings are over or under valued when looking at free agent contacts in today’s market? #AskCoppy
— BentheCPA (@BentheCPA) June 24, 2016
Overrated. Not naming names, but certain players may be overvalued for defense. We need to score more runs. https://t.co/JHmuIc6wkf
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 24, 2016
He also denied that the Braves, despite having the worst record in the National League, are aiming to nab the No. 1 overall pick.
@Braves Is the 1st pick next year a bad goal considering where we are and want to be? Losing isn’t a strategy but 1-1 is a win. #AskCoppy
— Kevin Walton (@Klemsonkrash) June 24, 2016
1-1 is a loss and embarrassing to the organization. We are all trying to win as many games as we possibly can. https://t.co/5Nka93leBy
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 24, 2016
But as you can imagine, the questions weren’t just limited to baseball. Asked what he prefers when he goes to Chick-fil-a, Coppolella likes the original chicken sandwich. And as for NFL quarterbacks, he thinks Joe Flacco is still among the elite.
