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Braves GM John Coppolella resigns after rules breach

The resignation is effective immediately.  
Nov 8, 2016; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Atlanta Braves general manager John Coppolella during the MLB general managers meeting at the Omni Scottsdale Resort. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

ATLANTA -- Atlanta Braves General Manager John Coppolella has resigned from his position, the Atlanta Braves announced.

The resignation is effective immediately.

Coppolella resigned because of a breach of MLB rules, and the league has begun investigating into whether or not the club has broken rules regarding the international player market. It likely has to do with the club's practices in acquiring talent from Latin America, according to reports.

"Major League Baseball is investigating the matter with our full cooperation and support," President of Baseball Operations John Hart said in a statement. "We will not be issuing any further comment until the investigation is complete."

MLB confirmed to 11Alive that it is in the midst of an ongoing investigation, but denied further comment.

The organization will begin searching for Coppolella's replacement immediately, and Hart will perform the GM duties until a replacement is found.

Last July, the Braves exceeded their international spending limit by signing top prospects from Latin America such as Kevin Maitan, Yunior Severino and Abrahan Gutierrez, along with several others.

The Braves concluded the 2017 regular season on Sunday. They finished 72-90, their fourth consecutive losing season.

There have been rumors that there would be changes in the coaching staff following the season. However, possible changes weren't expected to take place until a few days after the season.

After interning with the New York Yankees, Coppolella joined the Braves in 2006. In 2015, he was promoted to general manager after the team let Frank Wren go.

11Alive also confirmed special assistant to the GM Gordon Blakeley also resigned because of the same reasons.

We will update this story with more details as they become available.

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