Braves name John Hart president of baseball operations

John Hart is the new president of baseball operations for the Atlanta Braves after agreeing to a three-year contract, the team announced Thursday.

The 66-year-old Hart will assume control of day-to-day operations after temporarily serving as the club's interim general manager.

"We are excited by John's dynamic and positive leadership style and look forward to him leading our baseball operations," team president John Schuerholz said.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds that the Braves will likely hire a GM to serve under Hart, after he reportedly turned down the full-time position last week. Schuerholz refuted a Yahoo report that Hart rejected such an offer.

Hart replaced former Braves GM Frank Wren less than 24 hours after the club was eliminated from postseason contention for the first time since 2011.

"I love to compete, doesn't matter what it is," Hart said during a news conference at Turner Field on Thursday. "I care greatly about doing it the right way. I love team building. I love players. I'm anxious to get to know our players, to get know them better."

The longtime executive previously served as GM of the Texas Rangers from 2001-2005, famously signing Alex Rodriguez to a 10-year, $252-million contract before later trading the three-time MVP to the New York Yankees in 2003.

Prior to his stint in Texas, Hart performed the same role for the Cleveland Indians, guiding the franchise to five straight division titles and two World Series appearances during his decade-long reign.