Filed under: Braves, MLB Transactions
ATLANTA --Twenty years after the Braves last went looking for a new manager, they introduced the next one, bidding farewell to outgoing skipper Bobby Cox and immediately handing the reins to former Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez in a joint press conference Wednesday. Cox, who has held the position since 1990, stepped down on Monday to enter retirement."I'm excited," said Gonzalez, who was at the helm in Florida from 2007 through this June. "I've been sitting around the house for four months. I'm ready to get going."
Gonzalez, who received a three-year deal with a team option, served as a third-base coach under Cox for four years before taking the Marlins job, and he's been the top target to replace the legendary manager since before he was let go by Florida.
Last winter after Cox made his intentions to retire known, the Braves put together a list of 15 to 16 names of possible candidates. Gonzalez, who was still employed by the Marlins at the time, was at the top of the list.
"He was on our radar before he was available," said general manager Frank Wren. Throughout the entire process Gonzalez remained the Braves' top target. Wren said that had the Marlins not fired Gonzalez in June, the Braves would have asked permission to talk with him anyway about the possibility of replacing Cox.
"Fortunate for us, and maybe not so fortunate for Fredi at the time, he got fired," said Wren.
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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/10/13/braves-get-continuity-as-fredi-gonzalez-takes-managerial-reins/
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