Some baseball people who know Billy Beane well say the longtime Oakland general manager might consider an offer to join the Cubs if they approach him about their vacant GM job, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Cubs fired Jim Hendry on Friday and are already considering replacements, possibly Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, Andrew Friedman, Ned Colletti and Brian Cashman.
A’s executives are frustrated with the slow pace at which MLB is considering a possible move for the franchise, Slusser reports. There’s concern within the organization that Beane might leave if the A’s don’t get permission to build a stadium in San Jose and the team is sold.
Slusser suggests A’s owner Lew Wolff would grant Beane permission to interview elsewhere if the GM wanted to be considered for other opportunities. Nine years ago, Beane nearly joined the Red Sox, before deciding to stay in Oakland.
Should Beane leave, assistant GM David Forst would be the logical candidate to replace him. Forst, who has declined opportunities to pursue GM jobs elsewhere, currently assumes much of the responsibility in Oakland. His name appeared on MLBTR’s list of GM candidates earlier in the month.
Moneyball with money! This could be an amazing fit! Get it done!
This will be Billy’s dream come true. The Cubs will turn into the hottest team in baseball with him at the helm. Look at the Red Sox. They just took the Moneyball system and combined it with money to create the best team money could scout. So it stands to reason that that’s what would happen to the Cubs with Beane at the helm. I say he goes for it, as he should. Oakland is a lost cause with its successive line of stubborn and cheap ownership. Might as well build a more tangible legacy for himself while there’s still gas in the tank.
What exactly is money ball about trading for and extending becket? Paying huge money for dice-k? Throwing the biggest contract in the history of baseball to a player who has never hit more than 20 home runs in Crawford? Trading for and throwing a ton of money at Adrian? Signing drew to a huge free agent deal? Over paying for lackey like crazy? Giving closer money to a guy who is your 3rd best reliever( who is bad) in jenks?
your position seems to be that no team that spends a lot of money can apply the principles of moneyball. weird then that beane himself loves the NESV operation both in boston and across the pond in a completely different sport – all for its execution of moneyball principles
so i wonder which one is wrong about what moneyball is, you or billy fricken beane
Beane would be a great addition as GM .
Moneyball 2
Beane ain’t going to Chicago. First of all, it’s too damn cold and he still has young kids so he can’t really commute for summer only. Second of all, winning would be the worst thing to ever happen to the Cubs. They’re the Cubs because they always lose. If they actually win, they lose all their charm and become soulless corporations, like the Red Sox and their retarded fans.
We’ve had our fill of being charming and loveable. It’s time for the franchise to grow up.
This comment is funny I dont care who you are AND its comming from a NATS fan a team that has NEVER had a winning season…………. “If they actually win, they lose all their charm and become soulless corporations, like the Red Sox and their retarded fans.” Flag
Nats have had 6 seasons. Cubs have had 138. They last won the World Series in 1908. A little bit different than the Nats, wouldn’t you say?
The nats still havnt had a season over 500 EVER, just remember that before disrespecting the cubs and it doesnt matter that much when the last time that the cubs won the series, atleast they have been in 1. The nats have sucked for so very long and sucked up all of those top 5 draft pic’s for so long that finally when the get a few young CHEAP controlable players with some good talent your mouths kick into gear and for nothing. BTW the Nats have a worse record under Davey Johnson than they did under Jim Riggleman also and you same mouthy fans were telling everyone how riggleman was holding you back and how D Johnson was going to finally get you that season with over 82 wins well that must be next year huh. Learn about the game and business of baseball before opening up your mouth here please. I cant even tell you when the Expo’s even had a 82+ win season but it has seems like a eternity. This comment isnt for all nats fans either but just a few that ive seen here this summer.
I doubt Cubs fans care that people like to portray them as charming, hopeless losers. As a Nats fan, I’ve had more than enough enough myself… and it’s probably a small tasting compared to what longtime Cubs fans have had to endure.
It does suck rooting for the Cubs but a true fan cant switch sides because their team is 1 of the biggest laughing stocks in baseball even though they are laughing all the way to the bank it still stinks. The Cubs are taking strides to improve their franchise also and the firing of Jim Hendry and hopefully soon Crane Kenny firing will go a long way.
Their fans aren’t coming out anymore so the charm is gone all ready. Fans want a winner not to be lovable losers.
If you’ve been to Wrigley in the last four years, you would agree that the Cubs have already lost their charm and become a faceless corporation.
Then the cubs can have a very good pitching staff a good closer and a bunch of extremely over rated position players who can’t hit or field…. Oh wait they kind of already do….
Hendry is gone now guy let it go before the cubs steal your GM.
Unless your GM is Kenny Williams then in that case nevermind.
Let what go. I was making fun of the a’s. If the cubs want Kenny they can have him he has been a very good gm for the sox for quite some time now. And only really has 2 or 3 bad trades to his credit ( don’t you dare call Dunn a bad deal no one knew he would be this bad and after last season most didn’t know rios would be either). The cubs can have Kenny and the sox promote Rick hahn. Or the cubs can take Hahn and the sox keep Kenny. I’m not a cubs hater at all I want them to be good.
1 The cubs dont have a good pitching staff and have not for 3 years.
2 Jim hendry has been a horrible GM other than trading for ramirez, just look at what he did to sandberg and Z’s Bradley and Soriano’s contracts.
3 Crane Kenny is the worst baseball executive in MLB we can agree on that hopefully.
4 In between Williams and Hahn I would rather have Hahn as the next Cubs GM.
Hendry didn’t sign the Soriano contract. John McDonough signed that one, going above Jim Hendry. And Z’s contract was reasonable at the time given his performance. Not to say that Hendry should have stayed, but he is not totally to blame for all the Cubs woes.
crane kenny and jim hendry signed soriano hendry did want a 5 year deal and kenny over ruled him and wanted what 8 years? The bottom line is hendry sucks tremendiously for what he did to sandberg.
Doesn’t that 5 year deal look pretty sweet right now? And that is kind of my point, 5 years is still a bad deal, but was made worse by others stepping over/around Hendry.
True, his treatment of Sandberg was bad. But looking at this season, I don’t think Sandberg would have made much improvement and he is probably glad he didn’t get the job. Also, if Sandberg is offered the job next year, for him not to take it because of hard feelings puts the problem in Ryne’s lap. Hendry is gone and I too hope Crane and Quade are canned as well, not to mention most of the scouting department.
Also yes hendry looked bad recently be he was a darn good gm for the cubs it’s not his fault the player massively underachieved. The new problem is the fact that crane Kenny is still there and the owner might simply not be good. It took him 3 years to make any change. And he is demanding the city of Chicago raise taxes to fix wrigley. He does not seem like a good baseball owner.
And part of why he looks bad recently is that he went through three owners in such a short period of time. Not to mention three different orders coming from the top. “Spend”, “don’t spend”, “cut here to add here”…that kind of instability would drive any GM mad.
what 3 owners?
1 the tribune company 2 the ricketts family and who is #3
Tribune, Sam Zell and Ricketts. Zell was part of the Tribune phasing out process, while technically still part of the Tribune. The reason I mentioned him was because he brought a different philosophy than Tribune and Ricketts.
“Also yes hendry looked bad recently be he was a darn good gm for the cubs it’s not his fault the player massively underachieved”
this is a hilarious comment from someone who just criticized the athletics and moneyball
yes, it absolutely is hendry’s fault that he signed those players to massive overmarket deals and failed to effectively analyze their performances beforehand. i’ll buy you two a copy of the book if you want
Honestly, as an A’s fan I say good riddance. Dude has done nothing and it has little to do with the lack of payroll flexibility. His fascination with players like Conor Jackson grows increasingly annoying. Enjoy Chicago!
thanks we would gladly take him
Beane has to have a fascination with those kind of players because they fit moneyball well.. Beane has to get the most bang for his buck. If Beane just gets a decent bang for his bucks in Chicago, the team becomes a monster success.
Anyway, Beane would probably be my 5th choice after Anthopolous, Epstein, Friedman, and Hahn.
You are in the minority as far as A’s fans go. It’s not apples to apples.
If Beane had gotten Berkman, Furcal, Beltre as he has tried to, the standings might be looking a bit different this year.
It’s not all about the free-agent repellant stadium, or the small-time cash, but it’s partly about those issues, among others, like glamor. Big market teams are more attractive to free agent players and the inability to successfully sign free agents is huge in building winning teams.
Watch him go to Chicago and bring them a world series.
I don’t necessarily think I am in the minority. He constantly brings up the lack of parity in baseball and blames the A’s small market for lack of resources. Teams like Tampa, Pitt and KC are either good or on the rise and play in crap markets. The A’s suck because they have a stingy owner (who happens to be among the wealthiest) and a GM who has been praised more for his decent trades than the ones that have killed up (Hudson for Charles Thomas, Holliday debacle, etc). He just doesn’t seem to have the same fire and tenacity he had when we threw a chair against the wall when they drafted Bonderman. His defeatist attitude, as of late, is annoying. Beltre was offered more money from Texas and Berkman didn’t want to DH. That’s why they didn’t come to Oakland. Furcal maybe just didn’t want to play in Oakland (I don’t know his reason). Beane as mastermind and genius is played out.
As an A’s fan also, this move would devestate me. Billy is the reason I still have faith in the A’s year after year. At the beginning of each season, I always believe there’s a chance they might win – only because of the moves that Billy has made in the off-season. Yes, some of those moves don’t always pan out (CarGo, Eithier, etc.), but I just can’t forget the good years when our team won so many regular season games with such a small payroll.
By the way, will I see the movie “Moneyball”? Absolutely. I might even be camped out in line the night before it opens.
/Was at the 18th, 19th, and 20th games that they won in a row.
good to see that some a’s fans appreciate what they have now. the rest will all surely appreciate it once it’s too late and he’s gone
Doesn’t Billy Beane have part ownership in the A’s? Would that be an obstacle to him changing teams?
Yes, I believe he does
Believe it’s 5%
I was about to post this same comment. Imagine tho what could be if Billy had more than say $22 million a year to play with? It’s such a shame for such a talented man.
I have no way of validating this claim, but local Chicago Sports station says that Billy Beane doesn’t really run the A’s anymore; most of the day-to-day are run by the Assistant GM, while Billy has been focusing more on Soccer(?). Again, not sure what this means, or if it’s true, just what was reported (by Chicago media).
Always had a soft spot for the Cubs. As a Yankees fan, I can’t even imagine how painful it must be for Cubs fans to keep losing every year. I’m really curious to see what Beane can do in a big market and I’m hoping he’s the one the Cubs get (also, hands off Cashman, he’s ours!).
I too am hoping for Beane, just so the Cubs can finally field teams that aren’t philosophically opposed to TAKING PITCHES once in a while!
It wasn’t just Moneyball methods, the A’s, and Red Sox, also employed steroid fueled sluggers to achieve their success in the early 2000’s: Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz.
Beane should just take the job across the bridge. He’ll have plenty of money to spend and the Giants could use a GM that won’t give out horrible long term contracts to over-rated free agents
Isn’t the ownership group for the A’s one of the three wealthiest in baseball? My recollection (via various sports radio people) is that they have the money, and would spend if Beane felt it was necessary.
they won’t spend until they get a new stadium. unfortunately they won’t just build it in jack london square to help revitalize a city, like SF did with ATT park