By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

If one were a General Manager coming into a Western bar to play poker in the 1800s, Alex Anthopoulos would be the gambler with the topcoat, top hat, and handlebar mustache, who shuffles cards the way magicians do their tricks. In front of him are 90 percent of the winnings, and everyone else at the table has a tiny pile or a pocket flag sticking out.

This is not the guy you want to deal with.

A.A.’s biggest impediment to nabbing a good baseball trade deadline deal is his incredible run of luck. He’s paying Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez $4 million combined for two All-Star seasons, while their teams are paying the Braves to beat them while giving up very little in return. He’s got guys in slumps who Brian Snitker and his coaching staff fix their swings in the past, like Robbie Grossman and Jered Kelenic, for pennies on the dollar.

And who can forget the magic this guy worked in 2021, bringing in Joc Pederson (NLDS MVP), Eddie Rosario (NLCS MVP), and Jorge Soler (World Series MVP)? He could go into the Baseball Hall-of-Fame today if he were on the ballot.

In return, the players he’s dealt looked like amazing prospects but came up empty for their teams. Some have been cut, benched, or demoted.

I used to joke with my son that A.A. should offer to trade for another team’s groundskeeper, just to mess with the other team’s mind. That guy would get a bonus and a tryout.

If they made Moneyball 2, it would be his life’s story.

And that’s the problem.

Any team who trades with A.A. will catch hell if the guy turns out to be a phenom for the Braves, again! The team will be crucified the way other franchises are having to explain why they parted with such obvious talent for so little.

There are a few good pitchers on the market, as the AJC’s Michael Cunningham reports. Think the Mets want to send Luis Severino to the Braves, fearing that we could make him better? Detroit and Chicago have lost out on deals to us in the past for guys like Joe Jimenez and Grossman, and will never offer us Tarik Skubal for anything. The White Sox got burned on the Lopez and Bummer deal, and are certainly not going to make an offer involving Erick Fedde or Garrett Crochet. Think the Red Sox want to resist sending Kenley Jansen back to the Braves after the Sale-for-Vaughn-Grissom deal? Not only will other teams offer more, but you know the phrase “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” I wonder how many GMs lost jobs and bonuses because of A.A. We’re probably not getting those trade targets as a result.

I told several Braves supporters at work that we needed to pounce on Whit Merrifield as soon as he was released. A.A. was already thinking way ahead of the average fan. That guy will do anything to get even with the Phillies for releasing him, and maybe give us some tips about what the players are like. And our coaching staff is so good I’ve begun to wonder if Brian Snitker, Walt Weiss, Kevin Seitzer, Eddie Perez, Tom Goodwin, and Rick Kranitz et.al. could fix nearly any slump or bad coaching.

If the Braves are to pull off the miracle of the century, after losing Ronald Acuna, Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Michael Harris, and now Ozzie Albies, they’re going to have to do with minor league promotions and premature cuts by other teams. Throw in injuries to Austin Riley and Sean Murphy earlier, and a wild card season feels like a win. But if anyone can overcome this MASH season of injuries, and make the playoffs, it’s this GM, Manager and Coaching Staff.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His “X” account is JohnTures2.