22 October 2007

Frank Wren, who took over as GM for John Schuerholz, has made his first major move at the helm of the Atlanta Braves. Wren replaced.... himself by hiring Bruce Manno as Assistant GM. This comes from Dave O'Brien at the AJC.

Manno, 53, also served as an assistant GM to Wren with Baltimore in 1999, Wren's only previous stint at a general manager. Manno spent the past six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, most recently as director of pro scouting and special assistant to GM Walt Jocketty. He had previously served five years as director of player development for the Cardinals.

No shock that Wren hired someone he knows well and has trust in. That is a big part of what you want in an Assistant GM. In recent years, that role has been quite a task with John Schuerholz having less and less personal involvement in contract negotiations. However, I would assume that Wren won't follow Schuerholz's path on that particular part of the job.