Anthopoulos as GM

On Sunday, the Braves appeared to be moving closer toward hiring someone to handle both the general manager duties and likely run the baseball operations department.

Anthopoulos and Jim Hendry were the top remaining candidates, after a source said the Braves moved away from their top target, Royals senior vice president and general manager Dayton Moore, who would have needed permission from the Royals to become Atlanta’s president of baseball operations.

The Braves are eager to begin moving away from the restrictions that have resulted from MLB’s ongoing investigation into infractions that cost former general manager John Coppolella his job, and created uncertainty about president of baseball operations John Hart’s future.