Frank Wren Dismissed as Braves GM: Details, Comments, Replacement and Reaction

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 14

Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan has the latest on John Hart's status as GM:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 3

While GM Frank Wren has been dismissed, the much-discussed fate of manager Fredi Gonzalez will be decidedly different, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports:

Original Text

With their playoff hopes shot amid a September collapse, the Atlanta Braves began what could be a housecleaning session Monday, dismissing general manager Frank Wren.

In conjunction with Wren's dismissal, the team announced John Hart will oversee baseball operations while it looks for a replacement:

Hart, 66, was serving as a senior adviser in the organization. He was previously the general manager of the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers. After stepping down from the general manager post with the Rangers in 2005, Hart stayed with the organization in an advisory role until 2013.

It is unknown at this time whether Hart will receive consideration for the Braves vacancy, but his vast experience should make him an interesting candidate.

Bruce Manno, the Braves' assistant general manager, was also fired, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported:

Braves president John Schuerholz spoke about the decision to move on, via the Braves and Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan:

Scott Miller of Bleacher Report passed on information regarding manager Fredi Gonzalez's future with the organization:

Wren's firing comes one day after the Braves were officially eliminated from playoff contention thanks to a 10-2 loss to the New York Mets. Atlanta, which spent most of the season battling for the National League's second wild-card spot, has gone 4-14 in September to fall out of contention.

"It's disappointing," Wren told The Associated Press following the loss to the Mets, per Fox Sports. "I think we had a club we thought could go into the postseason and have a good chance because of our pitching."

The Braves do indeed have one of baseball's best pitching staffs. They're fifth in ERA, first in quality starts and 10th in wins above replacement. Atlanta's struggles have instead come at the plate, where it ranks near the bottom in nearly every major offensive category. The Braves have scored three or fewer runs in 14 of their 18 games this month and rank 29th in runs scored for the season.

USA TODAY Sports

The collapse was the team's second in the past four seasons, as the Braves dropped their last five games in 2011 to fall out of the playoffs. Wren, who took over Schuerholz's post as general manager in 2007, has seen the brunt of the criticism head his way.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported Sunday that Wren's job was "in peril." The 56-year-old Florida native had been with the Braves for well more than a decade, serving as Schuerholz's second in command before taking over. He is the first person in a major position of power fired by the team since 1990.

While Wren's dismissal seemingly paints an ominous sign for manager Fredi Gonzalez, Heyman reported that's not necessarily the case:

The Braves have seven games remaining on their 2014 schedule, so it'll be interesting to see whether that stance holds up over the next week.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter