Former Atlanta Braves GM banned from baseball; team loses prospects

The former general manager for the Atlanta Braves has been essentially banned from baseball.

John Coppolella was placed on Major League Baseball's permanently ineligible list on Tuesday for rule violations in the international market. The team will also lose its top prospect as part of the penalty.

The Braves must forfeit 13 international prospects, including Kevin Maitan considered at the top of the list. Also on the list are Juan Contreras, Yefri del Rosario, Abrahan Gutierrez, Juan Carlos Negret, Yenci Peña, Yunior Severino, Livan Soto, Guillermo Zuniga, Brandol Mezquita, Angel Rojas, Antonio Sucre and Ji Hwan Bae.

Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. issued the following statement Tuesday regarding the action:

The Atlanta Braves responded with the following statement:

Coppolella resigned his at the start of October citing "a breach of Major League Baseball rules regarding the international player market."

Coppolella became the team's general manager after the 2015 season and oversaw along with Hart a massive overall of the organization's farm system which included the trading of one-time All-Stars Craig Kimbrel, Jason Heyward, and Justin Upton to bring in highly regarded prospects.

The resignation comes the day after the 2017 season ended for the Braves who finished with a 72-90 record, only 4 games better than 2016.

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