Cronyism Rampant In Atlanta As Braves Hire Andrew Tinnish Away From Blue Jays

Cronyism! Outright cronyism! How dare the Atlanta Braves look so shallowly for their new scouting director! Rabble! Rabble Rabble!

Yes, ol’ crony loving Alex Anthopoulos has cronyed a former crony of his out of the Jays’ front office, and into what might become a cadre of Canadian Cronies down in Atlanta. Andrew Tinnish, the crony in question, has jumped ship from the Toronto Blue Jays, landing in Atlanta with his former GM, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal. I’m not sure how the god-fearin’, flag-lovin’ fans of Georgia are going to feel about this, but I’m sure many fans and media here in Toronto will be positively aghast at the blatant cronyism at play.

I wouldn’t doubt that fans of the Braves might be getting suspicious about their own franchise, too.

Is hiring Americans no longer a priority in Atlanta???

How about just continuing to employ them? According to Rosenthal, Adam Fisher, an American hired by the franchise as an assistant GM just back in September, has been let go rather than being reassigned by the heartless new Canadians in charge. Merry Christmas, Adam.

This is a shameful turn of evens, and is hardly made justifiable by the pitiful excuse that a new General Manager might actually like and value certain former employees, or by pointing out that this is a natural thing in business and speaks to the fact that Anthopoulos is viewed very highly by someone who has a long working relationship with him. No, this is clearly offensive garbage and one has to feel for the fans of Atlanta for what it portends. Is Anthopoulos only in place to do the bidding of his new club’s corporate masters — the Braves are one of just two corporate owned teams in MLB — while setting his old buddies up with cushy jobs? Where is the commitment to winning with this approach? How could Anthopoulos possibly know he’d found the right person for this job so soon, and in such a convenient place? Judging by this move, Braves fans ought to be very wary of what this regime is going to try to sell them. Clearly their priorities are not in the right place.

Former Blue Jays exec Perry Minasian had already left for a promotion in Atlanta earlier this fall — a move that was announced well prior to the hiring of Anthopoulos, but which must be looked at with new eyes given today’s odious turn of events.

Pity the poor fans at White Flight Park this year, my friends. Once the evil hand of cronyism starts twisting the fibres of an organization, little good will ever follow.