Brian Snitker's Braves Contract Option Exercised, Will Be 3rd Season with Team

The Atlanta Braves announced Thursday they will exercise the 2018 contract option for manager Brian Snitker and bring him back for a third season.

The announcement noted Snitker was named the interim manager in May 2016 and given the full-time role in October of that year but has been with the organization for 42 years.

"Brian is a life-long Brave who has earned the respect and admiration of our players, staff and front office," president of baseball operations John Hart said. "He has devoted his last 42 years to this organization and has proven that he is dedicated to guiding the team through this transition period. We are excited to have him back in the dugout to lead our club next season."

Atlanta went 59-65 in 2016 after Snitker took over for Fredi Gonzalez, and improved to 72-90 in 2017 during Snitker's first full season at the helm.

Hart's nod to Snitker's navigating a transition period in the announcement was notable considering Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported general manager John Coppolella resigned because of a "breach of Major League Baseball rules regarding the international player market."

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted special assistant Gordon Blakeley also resigned as the league investigates Atlanta's violation of international signing rules.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports did not paint an enticing picture around the organization:

The front office upheaval will be something Snitker has to deal with and accommodate as he moves into his third season as manager, but much of his focus will surely be on building a winner with pieces such as Freddie Freeman, Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson.