Larry Beinfest Rumors
Marlins Plan To Fire Beinfest, Promote Jennings
8:44pm: While not exactly a denial of Nightengale's report, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that he “never comments on any ridiculous and fabricated rumors.”
3:00pm: The Marlins will re-structure their front office following a disappointing season, and it'll cost the team's top baseball executive his job. The Marlins are planning to fire president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest and replace him with assistant GM and VP of player personnel Dan Jennings, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
The dismissal could occur as early as next week. Two Marlins executives told Nightengale they’d be stunned if the Marlins don’t make further changes.
The Marlins re-branded their franchise last offseason, changing the team's name, logo and colors before moving to a new stadium. They were not expecting a 66-84 record and a fifth place team when they generated national buzz by spending aggressively on free agents. But the additions of Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, Mark Buehrle and manager Ozzie Guillen weren't enough to make the team a contender.
The Marlins hired Beinfest more than ten years ago, before the 2002 season. Michael Hill was promoted to the GM role following the 2007 campaign with Beinfest assuming the role of president of baseball operations.
Jennings appeared on MLBTR's list of GM candidates last summer, drawing an honorable mention. He is not to be confused with Dan Jennings, the 25-year-old left-hander who pitches out of the Miami bullpen.
Mets GM Rumors: Jennings, Hart, Hunsicker
The Wilpons asked the Marlins for permission to speak to Marlins assistant GM Dan Jennings about their GM opening, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The Miami Herald's Clark Spencer says the Mets asked for permission to speak to Marlins executives Larry Beinfest and Mike Hill as well, but are likely to be denied the chance to speak to any of the three. It would be odd for the Marlins to allow a division rival the opportunity to swipe a top executive.
According to Newsday's David Lennon on Twitter, former Rangers and Indians GM John Hart would be interested in the Mets' opening but could be expensive. Hart remains with the Rangers as a senior advisor in baseball operations. How about a reunion with Gerry Hunsicker, who currently serves as a senior VP with the Rays? He told Mike Sielski of the Wall Street Journal Saturday that he did not have a burning passion to be a GM again and that "it would have to be a very special situation."
GM Trade Histories: NL East
Brendan Bianowicz is back with a bunch of updates to the GM Trade History series. The Excel spreadsheets linked below cover each GM's trades, free agent signings, and top draft picks via tabs along the bottom. It's interesting to see each GM's most frequent trade partner - for example, Omar Minaya has matched up with Larry Beinfest and Mark Shapiro most often in his career.
- Washington Nationals - Jim Bowden and Mike Rizzo
- Philadelphia Phillies - Pat Gillick and Ruben Amaro Jr.
- New York Mets - Omar Minaya
- Florida Marlins - Larry Beinfest and Michael Hill
- Atlanta Braves - Frank Wren
Larry Beinfest, Michael Hill - GM Trade History
Larry Beinfest currently holds the "President of Baseball Operations title for the Marlins, while Michael Hill is the Vice President and GM. Brendan Bianowicz has combined their moves into one spreadsheet for our latest entry in the GM Trade History series.
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