11:46am: Towers has yet to meet with Diamondbacks officials and his salary demands may become an obstacle, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The D’Backs, who are still paying former GM Josh Byrnes, may balk at Towers’ asking price. He made nearly $2MM with the Padres and has enough leverage to demand a substantial deal.
The Diamondbacks obtained permission from the Yankees to interview Towers, but the Bronx Bombers did not grant Arizona permission to interview Damon Oppenheimer. Dodgers assistant GMs Logan White and De Jon Watson will likely get interviews, too.
8:41am: Three general managers insisted to MLB Network's Peter Gammons that Kevin Towers is "set" to become the next GM in Arizona, though nothing is official at this point (Twitter link). The D'Backs have not had a permanent GM since firing Josh Byrnes halfway through the season and Towers' name has come up repeatedly since.
Towers currently works in the Yankees front office, but he's better known for his extended tenure as Padres GM. Not only did the Padres win four division titles and one National League championship under Towers, the team is in first place again this year. Manager Bud Black, GM Jed Hoyer and the Padres players deserve credit for this season, but Towers' fingerprints are undeniably on the current edition of the club.
Interim GM Jerry Dipoto, Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer and Dodgers assistant GM Logan White are among the executives who have reportedly been considered for the job.
Good move by D-Backs if they can get him. Any team would love to have a guy like this as their GM.
Any team other than the Padres, that is.
Yeah as soon as I posted that, I immediately thought that exact same thing. :P
That is a very solid move if they get Towers. He knows how to build a team on a budget.
LET IT BE ANYONE NOT NAMED LOGAN WHITE!
-Concerned Dodger Fan
This would be a good move. Really, I’m okay with White or DiPoto, also. I’d rather not have Oppenheimer, though.
Oppenheimer knows how to collect minor league talent. Great loss for the Yankees if he is selected.
Yeah, like Cito Culver…
Yes, because you knwo everything about every 18year old player in the nation.
I guess the Yankees are thinking along the same lines. They didn’t even let him interview for the job.
How long is Oppenheimer’s contract for? I have to imagine he bolts for a GM job once it’s up. Or else he’s in line to take over for Cashman…?
After that horrible Haren trade, I wouldn’t put my faith on DiPoto.
Hiring Towers is a good move.
Not nearly as horrible as you’d think. Skaggs is a B+/A- level prospect after an absurd year and recently hitting 96 on the gun according to reports I’ve seen, and Corbin is probably a B- prospect himself. If we can move Saunders at some point next year as well for another decent prospect, that’s a good haul.
“But Towers isn’t a proven winner!” – Jerry DiPoto
Don’t buy that Dipoto is running around throwing pitcher wins at other GMs in making moves. It’s a marketing issue, since most fans in Arizona simply want to see a winning product, and aren’t saber-inclined. So Dipoto is just marketing the moves he is making.
How do you become a general manager? i want to be one someday, an i have always wondered that.
That sounds like a nice article. It would be interesting to see info on some successful general managers’ educational and/or pro baseball backgrounds.
It’s all about networking. I remember seeing an interview with Theo Epstein who said that it all started when he wrote letters to organizations all over the MLB while he was in college and eventually he got an internship with the Baltimore Orioles. Currently, I do research work for some professors at my school who also do consultant work for the MLB. Through them, I’m trying to make my way into the business.
Towers is worth the money if they want to improve their club. Good GMs are priceless, especially ones that may have inside info on a division rival.
At the same time, do you want a guy with inside info on a division rival, or a guy with an abundance of information on the team that they’re going to be working for since they’ve already been there a while?
Jerry Dipoto knows this team and minor league system inside and out.