John Coppolella’s departure was only the beginning of the Atlanta Braves’ issues.

The Atlanta Braves general manager, John Coppolella, resigned in the midst of a Major League Baseball probe. (AP)

A well-known agent got a call from a 770 number the previous year. The Atlanta Braves general manager, John Coppolella, was on the other end. He had a question regarding one of the agent’s clients. Not because the Braves were fond of the player, but rather because he was playing for a new team in August—a full two and a half months before he would be eligible for free agency—the agent considered this extremely intriguing. He had never witnessed a general manager so flagrantly flouting the norms of tampering.

Coppolella’s disdain for regulations drove his rise and accelerated his fall during the course of his career, which may have come to an end on Monday when he resigned amid a Major League Baseball investigation into violations with domestic and international amateurs as well as tampering accusations, sources told Yahoo Sports. Coppolella attracted derision from colleagues as he rose to the forefront of a well-known organization, defying the industry norm of “be seen, not heard” and depending on cordial media connections to enhance his public image. According to insiders, his time as general manager of the Braves gradually collapsed into turmoil, with internal strife growing until it burst out of control when he was the target of anonymous charges that prompted an inquiry and ultimately forced his retirement.

Although the long-term effects of Coppolella’s activities are yet unknown, sources indicate that MLB’s inquiry has recently focused on the bundling of foreign amateur signing incentives in order to get around expenditure caps. Though the exact nature of the Braves’ plan is still unknown, one person with knowledge of it said it was “far greater” than the Boston Red Sox’s 2015–16 signing period plan. Boston overpaid for bonuses on poorer players represented by the same buscon, or trainer, of more highly rated players, to whom extra money was sent, in order to get around regulations limiting them to signing players for a maximum $300,000 incentive. The Red Sox were prohibited from signing any foreign players for a full year after the five players who were signed as part of the plan were designated free agents.

There are rumors that the Braves’ problems may go much further. Investigations into the signing of top prospect Kevin Maitan, a 17-year-old shortstop who was awarded a $4.25 million bonus the previous season, are still ongoing. Several reports indicate that Maitan may also be declared a free agent if irregularities related to his signing are found.

Multiple Braves employees and others familiar with the investigation have stated that it is becoming more and more clear that the chaos that Coppolella sowed during his tenure was mingled with palace intrigue, leaving the organization in flux despite having what is arguably the best minor league system in the game.

According to two sources, Coppolella visited MLB’s Park Avenue office last week for an interview about many allegations, with an emphasis on the Braves’ recruitment of amateur players. Employees of the Braves openly questioned over the next few days whether Coppolella, who along with team president John Hart had consolidated authority, reorganized staff across the front office, and within the previous three weeks brought on a new assistant general manager and director of player personnel, would stay in his position.