ATLANTA -- Brian Snitker has spent portions of this season thinking he may move into an advisory role with the Braves next year. But with a little more than two weeks left in this season, he’s not 100 percent sure he’s ready to end his days as Atlanta’s manager.
“I’m thinking about a lot of things,” Snitker said. “I honestly don’t know where I’m going to end up and what decision I’m going to make. I still feel like there’s some unfinished business.”
Snitker’s contract will expire at the end of this season. The year-long assumption has been that this would be his last season as the team’s manager. But the Braves' struggles in 2025 have given him reason to think he might want a different ending to a managerial career that began in 1982 when Hank Aaron put him in charge of the Class A team in Anderson (SC).
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about it,” Snitker said. “I’m not 100 percent sure which direction I want to go.”
Snitker’s desire to continue managing doesn’t guarantee he will stay in this role. The Braves could choose to go in a different direction after what will be their first losing season since 2017.
But Snitker has at least let it be known he might not be ready to walk away from his days as a big league manager.
Snitker’s revelation that he may want to continue managing comes just two days after Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos was non-committal about the 69-year-old skipper’s future role.
“Snit will be part of this organization no matter what well past when I’m here,” Anthopoulos said on Monday. “He’s a Brave for life. [Coaching staff roles] are things we always address at the end of the year.”
Well, this has been anything but a normal year for the Braves, who are set to miss the postseason for the first time since 2017, Snitker’s first full season in his current role.
Who will serve as Atlanta’s manager in 2026 has been a hot topic over the past few months. Anthopoulos chose to say he hasn’t even done background work on potential replacements. But this just seemed to be his attempt to respect one of the most impactful figures in Braves history.
Snitker is nearing the end of his 49th consecutive season as a player, coach, instructor or manager within the Braves organization. His 800 wins rank third on the franchise's all-time list, trailing only Hall of Fame managers Frank Selee (1,004) and Bobby Cox (2,149). He guided Atlanta to six consecutive National League East crowns (2018-23) and a World Series title in 2021.
Many anticipated Snitker would announce his retirement plans in early September and the team would celebrate him throughout the month. But with just nine home games left after Wednesday's finale against the Cubs, there still seems to be some uncertainty.
“I don't want to look back in a year and regret things,” Snitker said. “I want to make sure I know where I'm going.”