The Dodgers announced this afternoon that they’ve promoted Brandon Gomes from assistant general manager to general manager. The move solidifies Gomes as a key member of a Los Angeles front office that also includes senior vice president Josh Byrnes and is helmed by president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
The move doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Gomes was mentioned as a candidate in the Mets search for a new front office leader earlier in the offseason, but reports out of New York fairly quickly suggested it likelier he would be promoted to Dodgers GM instead. (The Mets eventually landed on Billy Eppler). With Friedman still running the front office in L.A., Gomes’ promotion doesn’t come with the same level of roster control that landing the Mets job would have provided. Yet it affords him a notable step up in title and likely contains some form of pay bump for the 37-year-old to remain in a setting in which he’s obviously comfortable.
Gomes has climbed the front office ranks rather quickly over the past few years. The Massachusetts native began his pro career as a player in 2007, making his big league debut by May 2011. He spent the next four seasons as a middle relief option with the Rays. Tampa Bay outrighted Gomes off their 40-man roster following the 2015 campaign. After a minor league deal with the Cubs didn’t result in another big league opportunity, Gomes hung up his spikes and joined the Los Angeles front office. He reunited with Friedman — formerly Tampa Bay’s general manager — in Southern California.
Within a year, Gomes had ascended to director of player development. After a season in that role, he was promoted to AGM. Three years later, Gomes gets the nod as general manager, a notable step for the organization. With Friedman leading the charge as president of baseball ops, the Dodgers’ GM position has sat vacant in the three-plus years since Farhan Zaidi departed to become president of baseball operations with the archrival Giants.
By promoting Gomes to GM, the Dodgers could ward off interest among other clubs in poaching him, as the Mets apparently expressed this winter. Teams typically only allow their employees to interview elsewhere if a rival club is willing to offer a step up in title. A president of baseball ops or chief baseball officer position would qualify, but it’s unlikely the Dodgers would allow Gomes to assume a GM role — which, for most organizations, is now second in the front office hierarchy — with a new team.
Wow
Too many cooks in the kitchen … dodgers will be burnt toast
Hahaaaaa. Thanks for the .
Yeah, the Dodgers are just a trash organization – Said NO ONE.
I think statman is just upset that he burnt his toast and is convinced one needs to be a pro chef to “make” toast.
How about you try toasting rye bread. It’s not that f***ing easy.
The dodgers are literally cheating you guys
Uh, how?
There should be a rule that a team can’t deny another team to interview someone from the front office if the position is a promotion.
That pretty much is the rule.
And explains the promotion to the vacant position of GM. Pretty clearly covered in the article, I think.
@Dutch ironic name for that type of take lmao
Shouldn’t be a rule banning it either way. If someone wants to leave AT&T to go work for Verizon they don’t require permission. Sports’ teams requiring that is ridiculous.
He’s was probably under contract. That’s why permission was needed.
And you can’t effectively compare working for phone companies to being a part of a sports organization.
Most senior exec jobs have standard non compete so no, you can’t just leave AT & T to go to Verizon.
You forgot MLB is a monopoly and play by their own set of rules.
Makes total sense, having the type of money the Dodgers work with. Stock piling on field talent and F.O talent is very smart.
Dodgers triple A team can be in the majors on most teams, and the extras in that front office can be leading the charge for many organizations as well.
I wish you were correct but big NO on the triple AAA team
Outside of a couple arms and 1 C the Dodgers system is pretty barren right now. Raley Peters and Reks showed the minor league depth last year and probably took the 9th straight Div crown away from us
The Dodgers have 4-5 top 100 MLB prospects. Most teams would kill for LA’s farm system. Reks, Peters, and Raley are 4th outfielders but that shows the depth LA has in the minors too.
Around 15 would, and 15 wouldn’t, as the Dodgers pipeline is currently rated right in the middle of the pack. No use pretending that the farm system is still what it was before all the trading, because it isn’t.
Actually, the farm system is a bit thinner at the top this year. Maybe you’re referring to 2021 off-season? Peters has since signed in the KBO.
@bluesky
You’ve put down the Dodgers farm system on here for years. The ranking being middle of the pact doesn’t change the fact that LA has big league ready hitters and pitchers graduating every year. 2020 Lux, May, and Gonsolin were promoted. Last year LA lost Gray and Ruiz, now Busch, Vargas, Miller, & Pepiot are top 100 prospects at AAA. Carataya and Pages at A+, AA. It’s likely they lose depth in the rule 5.
The system isn’t barren.
Reks Peters and Raley are only relevant b/c you are a Dodger fan. They didn’t even cut it on the Rangers as we saw and are all old with a buncha fleas spread across the whole bunch. They are names {you happen to know} not prospects
Blue Skies is correct; we are a middle of the road farm today and that’s not all that bad considering we have traded plenty from it the last half decade. Let’s pump the brakes tho on acting likes its a huge boon today
@ metsfanina22. No, not at all, I’ve never done anything of the kind. More the opposite. I’ve pointed out many times that the current ownership reversed the disinvestment in player the development system that occurred under the previous two ownerships, and it’s paid off. For awhile this resulted in one of the top farms in the game, but since a lot of that talent has graduated to the majors, and they’ve been dealing aggressively from this strength for trading. So it is now middling, and that isn’t a criticism, it is just a fact. I think they are also in a tough spot to rebuild the farm. With low draft picks and a reduced international draft pool the scouting will have to pull up a lot of slack.
Dodgers have one of the best farms in baseball. Not top 5 but easily 6-10. They have the best group of starters in the minors. The only reason it’s not higher is their best position player prospects aren’t in the upper minors yet like Cartaya, Luis Rodrigez, Pages, M. Vargas and a few others. Anyone who doesn’t think their pipeline isnt loaded aint paying attention.
*pardon my word choice in the last sentence. “Anyone who thinks”
Ranking #16.
Paying attention, working definition.
Ah yes, because rankings mean all. They have 4 high quality SP prospects and 6 position players who could be in a top 100 by the end of 2022. Keep telling us how the Dodgers farm is depleting.
Ah yes, because rankings mean nothing. See how that works?
It seems you believe in rankings too, but only when they tell you what you want to hear. I believe Baseball America has the Dodgers system at #15 if that makes you feel any better.
And I already told you the reason for that rankings, which is their best prospects are in the lower minors. Yes, their AAA team is pretty bad. In 1-2 seasons they should easily have a top 5 farm system.
Baseball America list came out today. Dodgers have 5 in the top 100. Keep telling us how their farm system has taken a step back.
The convo started as we have a triple AAA team worthy of competing with some big league clubs and now its watered down too ” well their young’?
No, we lost a buncha games last year, and probably the Div in hindsight, bc we couldn’t find an OF in our system to “Not Do ” a horrific job hitting 8th
Does that feel like our triple AAA team can compete with Big league teams? NO, We couldnt even fill 1 spot on the grass
Being realistic doesn’t make you less of a fan
I won’t argue about OKC, it was pretty barren there, but most AAA teams are mostly homes to AAAA players as of late. The lower levels of the Dodger farm system are deep, and I am betting that Andy Pages will be the middle of any trade talk involving the Dodgers. I am betting he gets a big push and will probably replace AJ Pollock in the Dodger lineup in ’23.
I think if Vargas has another year or 2 like he did last year, he will replace JT late 23 or start of 24
inflation of front office titles.
Pretty much. GM roles now are assistant roles 15 years ago. Most teams just added the president title to help retain talent.
One wonders what the LAD organizational chart looks like.
Friedman at the top with ultimate veto power on moves is my guess. Gomes may end up doing more of the day to day operations that GMs do.
Ya like setting lineups and building in-game multiple choice cheat sheets for DR.
Theo created this.
It looks like there an engagement party on the way in L.A. They were doing just fine without a GM! What happened?
Friedman is grooming his replacement for when he decides to call it a career. Plus, that leaves Gomes for the less interesting aspects of the job that Friedman had for the past couple years. Only so many free agent and trade rumors a guy can address in a day. Friedman is probably tired from denying the daily rumors that he is negotiating with (fill in the blank).
In case there was any doubt about the title of General Manager becoming less and less important, the Dodgers have had the position vacant for three years. He’s not “the man” when it comes to final say on personnel decisions or making trades any more.
And that’s the truth. The promotion keeps Gomes on the team, it doesn’t change his job description.
But it does change his salary. Chia-ching! Congratulations Brandon Gomes.
Wait did they really not have a general manager before this? Or did their previous one leave this offseason and I missed it?
Been vacant ever since Zaidi defected to the Giants. It’s bizarre, but when your President is really a GM he can just do both roles unofficially.
Wow, the Dodgers have turned the GM job into the equivalent of Asst. Manager of the local Wendy’s.
….depends on if they actually serve the “new” french fries offering or just hang up the new promo materials and send out the same old product…..
Assistant to the regional manager.
General Manager doesn’t mean the same thing it did before
The Dodgers needed a GM?
I came here to see his stats.