Braves players are lobbying to have Brian Snitker return, per report

There has been a lot of speculation regarding whether or not Brian Snitker will return next season as the manager of the Atlanta Braves. Depending on what you report you read on any given day, the Braves have been leaning both to keep Snitker for another year or to move one for a couple of weeks now. The decision has also apparently exposed some fault lines in the front office as to how to proceed going into next season that will likely have to be sorted out as well.

Well, today things certainly got at least a little more interesting as the players put their two cents in.

In many respects, this is not a surprise as not only has Snitker established a reputation as being a guy that his players love, but Braves’ players have been vocal of their support for Snitker in the past. This has been particularly true of Freddie Freeman, who Nightengale calls out specifically, as Freeman was vocal in wanting to have Snitker return for the 2017 season as well.

The most recent reports seem to indicate that the Braves were leaning towards keeping Snitker for at least the 2018 season, but it will be interesting to see how the front office reacts to its players publicly stating their preference. While it seems reasonably clear that some changes will be made to the coaching staff even if Snitker is retained, how the front office handles the ever increasing scrutiny surrounding their manager’s job security.