Josh Byrnes

Latest on Mets’ Front Office Search

By Anthony Franco | October 13, 2021 at 12:48pm CDT

October 13: The Mets’ wide-ranging search for a new PBO apparently won’t reach as far as the NFL. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports there had been some speculation that Paul DePodesta, currently the chief strategy officer for the Cleveland Browns, was being considered as a possible candidate, but DePodesta tells Sherman he’s not interested in leaving his current position. Prior to making the jump to football in 2016, DePodesta had a long run working in various MLB front-office jobs with Cleveland, Oakland, the Dodgers, San Diego and the Mets.

On the other side of the ledger, you can add Dodgers’ assistant GM Brandon Gomes to the list of names the Mets may want to interview, writes Andy Martino of SNY. However, Martino suggests the Dodgers could consider promoting Gomes themselves if the Mets express serious interest in poaching him.

October 12: The Mets have discussed Josh Byrnes as a possibility in their ongoing search for a new president of baseball operations, reports Buster Olney of ESPN (Twitter link). Byrnes has spent the past eight seasons as the Dodgers’ senior vice president of baseball operations.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network suggested last month that Byrnes might pop onto the Mets’ radar, and it indeed seems he’s caught the attention of owner Steve Cohen and team president Sandy Alderson. It’s rather easy to see Byrnes’ appeal. The Dodgers have been among the game’s most successful franchises over the past few years, and executives like Alex Anthopoulos (Braves) and Farhan Zaidi (Giants) have done quite well after taking over baseball operations elsewhere following stints in the L.A. front office. Byrnes interviewed for the Phillies’ leadership position that eventually went to Dave Dombrowski last winter but ultimately decided to remain in Los Angeles.

Byrnes also has plenty of experience running day-to-day baseball ops. Before joining Los Angeles, the 51-year-old had stints as the general manger of the Diamondbacks and Padres. In a somewhat ironic twist, Byrnes reportedly came close to landing the Mets’ GM job that went to Alderson back in 2010. Now, Alderson finds himself with a key role in settling on New York’s next baseball operations leader. While he assumed control over day-to-day operations for the final few weeks of this season, Alderson is planning to move back into a broader team president role for 2022.

Byrnes becomes the latest big name tied to the Mets, who are planning to request permission to interview A’s executive VP Billy Beane and Brewers’ president of baseball operations David Stearns. Unlike Beane and Stearns, Byrnes isn’t currently in charge of baseball ops elsewhere, which could make the initial hurdle of getting permission from his current club for an interview — should the Mets decide to take that step — easier than it is with the other candidates. The Mets already interviewed Theo Epstein, but the former Red Sox and Cubs leader will not be taking over in Queens.

Latest Rumors On Mets’ Front Office

By Steve Adams | September 9, 2021 at 2:50pm CDT

The Mets again find themselves in the midst of an effort to reshape their front office, less than a year after already making sweeping changes under new owner Steve Cohen. Team president Sandy Alderson temporarily assumed oversight of baseball operations last week as the team put acting GM Zack Scott on administrative leave following a DWI arrest, but there’s little expectation Alderson will return to the top of the baseball ops hierarchy on a full-time basis.

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets today that Alderson signed a two-year deal to help Cohen’s ownership transition and front office changes, but he had no desire to return to a full-time baseball operations role. The team’s plan for the 2022 season is to have Alderson return to a broader-reaching team president role without directly running the baseball operations department. A new hire will need to be made, as has already been widely suggested in the wake of Scott’s DWI charge.

Cohen’s Mets were connected to numerous high-profile candidates last year in looking to fill their baseball operations void after parting ways with Brodie Van Wagenen, but several either declined to interview or were denied permission to do so. Teams generally only permit their executives to interview with other clubs if the position is a promotion over their current post. It’s probably not a coincidence that the Rays not only extended general manager Erik Neander but promoted him to president of baseball operations just yesterday; Neander was known to be of interest to the Mets last year.

There’s been quite a bit of recent speculation on Theo Epstein as a candidate. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman all wrote on the topic within the same 24-hour period. Of course, as Rosenthal pointed out, it was Epstein who originally hired both Scott and Jared Porter — the former Mets GM who was fired a month into his tenure last offseason following revelations of past harassment of a reporter. Both joined the Red Sox under Epstein’s watch, and Epstein brought Porter to Chicago not long after being named Cubs president of baseball operations.

The optics of that aren’t necessarily damning, but a cleaner break from that tree might also be welcome. Furthermore, SNY’s Andy Martino wrote this week that nearly everyone he’s spoken to has strongly downplayed the Epstein rumors. All three Epstein columns also mention the possibility that he’d look to secure a minority stake with any team he joins, and Martino suggests the same: that Epstein is seeking a partial ownership opportunity.

Looking around the league, there aren’t many high-profile executives who’d seem like candidates to depart their current post and take on the spotlight of the Mets’ presidency. Twins GM Thad Levine and Indians GM Mike Chernoff both declined the opportunity to interview last offseason. A’s GM David Forst was reported to be of interest to the Mets (and the Angels), but there’s no indication he ever actually interviewed (or even spoke with) either club.

Heyman somewhat speculatively suggests two other executives whose names have been or could be of interest to the Mets: Dodgers senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes and Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels. Martino, in similar fashion, listed off three more high-profile execs who’d be making lateral moves and require ownership permission to even interview: Cleveland’s Chris Antonetti, Minnesota’s Derek Falvey and Oakland’s Billy Beane.

Byrnes would make a fairly logical candidate for the Mets to pursue. He’s a high-ranking member of a large-payroll, consistently successful organization, but the Mets’ top baseball ops job would still represent a promotion for him. He’s also served as general manager of both the Padres and the Diamondbacks in the past, so he’s no stranger to running a baseball operations outfit himself. Somewhat coincidentally, Byrnes was the other finalist for the Mets’ GM post back in 2010 when the team ultimately hired Alderson to take over baseball operations.

As for Daniels, he would be making a lateral move, from one president of baseball ops role to another. However, the Rangers also just recently hired Chris Young as their new general manager, and that could be viewed as a means of grooming an eventual heir-apparent for Daniels, who was extended on a contract of still-unreported length back in 2018. Daniels — a Queens native, for what it’s worth — has been running the Rangers’ baseball operations department since being appointed general manager at just 28 years of age in the 2005-06 offseason.

Daniels’ situation bears some similarity to that of Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns, whose name was recently raised in connection with the Mets by ESPN’s Buster Olney. However, there are also some key differences. As is the case with the Rangers, the Brewers just named a new general manager, Matt Arnold, to serve under Stearns (who is, like Daniels, a New York native). The key difference is that Arnold was promoted to GM from within at a time when the Mets were known to be looking to hire a GM; Young was hired by the Rangers from outside the organization. (Although he also interviewed for the Mets’ job last offseason before joining the Rangers.)

Stearns is also newer to the Brewers’ top job than Daniels is to his own post. His contract extension and promotion are both more recent as well. There’s little reason to think Brewers owner Mark Attanasio would be open to allowing Stearns to depart when he’s still under contract another year and when the Brewers have emerged as one of the best teams in all of baseball. The Brewers denied him permission to interview last offseason, Martino notes.

Suffice it to say, speculation already abounds with regard to the Mets’ front office, and that’s before the team has even truly begun its search for a new baseball operations leader in earnest. These names and a dozen or more others will likely be tied to the Mets in the weeks and months to come, before a hire is ultimately made.

Latest On Phillies’ Front Office Search

By Steve Adams | December 8, 2020 at 10:02pm CDT

DEC. 8: Byrnes has decided to stay with the Dodgers, Jayson Stark of The Athletic tweets. Hill is among those still in the running.

DEC. 4, 10:02pm: Levine is no longer a candidate for the Philadelphia job, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. He’s content to stay in Minnesota.

3:56pm: The Twins have given the Phillies permission to interview Levine, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets.

10:12am: It’s been two months since Matt Klentak stepped down as the Phillies’ general manager, but there’s still no resolution to the team’s front-office search. A group of potential candidates is coming more clearly into focus, however, as NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury reports that Dodgers senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes and former Marlins president of baseball ops Michael Hill are in line for second interviews. Additionally, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports (via Twitter) that Twins general manager Thad Levine is a “significant” candidate for the Phillies.

Per Salisbury, the Phils aren’t seeking a general manager but are instead focused on hiring an executive who could assume the president of baseball operations role in their organization, then hire a GM of his own. By that criteria, each of Byrnes, Hill and Levine fit the bill. Byrnes, in addition to his current role with the Dodgers, is a former general manager of both the Padres and Diamondbacks. Hill, of course, held the president of baseball ops title in Miami.

Levine was an assistant GM with the Rangers before being hired by the Twins as general manager back in 2016. He’s currently No. 2 on Minnesota’s hierarchy behind president of baseball ops Derek Falvey, so if the Twins indeed allow Levine to interview (or have already allowed him to do so), he could be hired away given that the president role in Philadelphia would be a promotion. Of at least minor note, Levine is a Virginia native who played college ball at Haverford College — about 25 miles from Citizens Bank Park. Of course, that was more than 25 years ago, so those local ties may be little more than anecdotal at this point.

There’s still no clear timeline as to when the Phillies might finalize a decision — nor is it even certain that they’ll make a hire this winter at all. Assistant general manager Ned Rice was elevated to GM status on an interim basis while the team conducted its search, and Phillies president Andy MacPhail suggested more than a month ago that Rice could very well hold that title into 2021 if the team doesn’t find a candidate to its liking.

Latest On Phillies’ GM Search: Byrnes, Epstein

By Connor Byrne | November 27, 2020 at 4:03pm CDT

The Phillies have shown interest in Dodgers assistant general manager Jeff Kingston for their open GM job, but they’re also eyeing another member of LA’s front office: senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes. “There are strong indications” the Phillies met with Byrnes last week, Jayson Stark of The Athletic writes.

On the other hand, Theo Epstein is not a candidate for the Philadelphia job. Owner John Middleton did reach out to Epstein, per Stark, but the former Cubs president of baseball operations informed the Phillies he isn’t interested in the position. He’s likely to take at least a year off from running a club’s front office.

The 50-year-old Byrnes joins the previously reported Michael Hill as another former GM to meet with the Phillies regarding their vacancy. Byrnes was the GM of the Diamondbacks from 2006-10, and he then led the Padres from 2011-14. Neither one of those tenures worked out as hoped for Byrnes, but he has nonetheless been a popular GM candidate around the league in recent offseasons. It helps that Byrnes has been a prominent part of the Dodgers’ front office, arguably the best in the game, for seven seasons.

Farhan Zaidi “Top Choice” To Run Giants’ Baseball Ops

By Jeff Todd | November 5, 2018 at 7:17pm CDT

At the end of a disappointing 2018 campaign, the Giants decided it was time to shake up the leadership of the baseball operations department. President of baseball operations Brian Sabean will work to find replacements for himself and Bobby Evans, who had held the general manager role. It’s the end of a successful era in San Francisco that culminated in three World Series championships in a five-year span. Whoever takes the reins will be put in charge of one of the game’s most venerable, highest-budget franchises, and tasked with implementing the strategic pitch that wins them the job.

Equal parts opportunity and challenge await a new ops boss. Here’s the latest on the search:

Latest Update — Nov. 5

There are increasing indications that the Giants would like to hire Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi. Morosi cites a rival official for the proposition that the San Francisco organization is “prepared to offer a position” to Zaidi, who has worked alongside president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman for the past four seasons. (Twitter link.) An unnamed source tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) that Zaidi is the “top choice” of the Giants’ brass, with Bloom “seen as a fallback.” At this point, though, it remains unclear whether Zaidi is interested in moving over from the rival Dodgers.

Click to review other candidates and prior updates to the Giants’ front office search:

Under Consideration

The Giants have interest in Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted earlier this week, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (subscription required) that Zaidi is “likely” to interview with San Francisco. While it would be certainly interesting to see such a major executive jump between the two NL West arch-rivals, clubs generally don’t stand in the way of front office employees interviewing for jobs that would offer a promotion — Zaidi would be the head man in San Francisco, whereas Zaidi is behind Andrew Friedman on the Dodgers’ baseball operations hierarchy. Rosenthal speculates that Los Angeles could give Zaidi a raise to keep him in the fold. Zaidi joined the Dodgers following the 2014 season and his contract terms aren’t known, though since Friedman’s deal is up after the 2019 season, it stands to reason that Zaidi may also only have one more year remaining on his pact.
The Giants have interviewed Diamondbacks senior vice president of baseball operations/assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). The interview seemingly went well, as Nightengale adds that the 41-year-old Sawdaye is expected to be among the finalists for the position. Sawdaye has been with the D-backs in his current role for two seasons and was previously an integral part of the Red Sox’ front office, where he most recently oversaw the team’s international and amateur scouting efforts. During his time in that role, the Sox drafted the likes of Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Travis Shaw, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Matt Barnes.
There are at least four other names under consideration. Per Jon Heyman of Fancred, the club is taking a look at Rays senior VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, Brewers assistant GM Matt Arnold, and Dodgers exec Josh Byrnes. Meanwhile, the Giants will interview league executive Kim Ng, Chris Haft of MLB.com reports. Bloom has paired with Erik Neander atop the Tampa Bay baseball ops hierarchy and was a finalist for the just-filled Mets opening. Arnold came from the Rays organization to Milwaukee to serve as a wingman to GM David Stearns. Those two mid-thirties execs are part of a class of rising talents; Byrnes, on the other hand, has already sat in the GM chair for two organizations (the D-Backs and Padres). If hired, Ng would become the first female GM in the history of the majors. Formerly with the Dodgers, Yankees and White Sox, Ng has been a legitimate GM candidate with other clubs. She recently interviewed, according to MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, and has also been mentioned in the Orioles and Mets front office searches.
Cubs senior VP of player development and amateur scouting Jason McLeod interviewed last week with the San Francisco organization, per Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com. McLeod has long been seen as a strong candidate to lead a baseball operations department, though he has thus far remained content in his significant role with the Cubs. Levine adds that McLeod’s five-year contract already pays him “close to $1 million annually.”

Possible Candidates

Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle speculates that the Giants will speak with Astros’ Assistant GM Mike Elias for their head of baseball ops opening now that Houston has been eliminated from the playoffs. Fancred’s Jon Heyman had suggested previously that Elias might be a name the Giants would consider if moving towards a more analytically-inclined candidate.

Not Under Consideration

Prior Giants farm director David Bell was believed to be an in-house option to take over as head of baseball operations, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted. But Schulman later tweeted that Bell “apparently” was no longer a candidate to become the Giants’ head of baseball ops. Ultimately, he took over as Reds manager.
Ben Cherington, an executive with the Blue Jays and former GM of the Red Sox, will not pursue the open position with the Giants, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The phrasing of the report seemingly indicates that he was seen as a candidate by the San Francisco organization. Rosenthal says, though, that Cherington would only be intrigued by an opportunity to “build an organization from [the] ground up.” Previously, of course, Cherington was knocked from the perch in Boston after a short run in which he oversaw both champion and cellar-dwelling rosters for the large-budget franchise.
Not surprisingly, the Brewers have rejected the Giants’ request to interview GM David Stearns, according to Rosenthal (via Twitter). Given the successes of the Milwaukee organization since Stearns took the helm, it stands to reason that owner Mark Attanasio is more interested in discussing a new contract with the youthful executive than in allowing him to chat with other organizations.

The Mets’ GM Search

By Steve Adams | October 20, 2018 at 2:48pm CDT

Not long after longtime general manager Sandy Alderson stepped down from his post with the Mets earlier this summer, it became clear that the organization would conduct an extensive search to tab a new head of baseball operations. Assistant GM John Ricco and special assistants J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya have been overseeing the team’s baseball operations department on an interim basis, but the Mets are now formally in search of a new department leader.

There have been multiple reports that owner Fred Wilpon is eyeing a more traditional general manager with scouting-based acumen (an “old school” type of executive, to use a broad description), while his son, COO Jeff Wilpon, is more focused on hiring an analytically-inclined executive that more closely aligns with recent industry trends. Per Jon Heyman of Fancred, the Mets are leaving some candidates with the sense that the new hire won’t quite enjoy a full slate of baseball ops power. As he puts it, the impression is that Omar Minaya or one of the other existing assistant GMs could retain control over player development functions. Team sources that spoke with Heyman denied that was the case, however.

As we’ve done with some recent managerial searches, we’ll track the majority of the updates in the Mets’ GM search here as they navigate the early phases of the process.

Latest Update — 10/20

Doug Melvin and agent Brodie Van Wagenen are the favorites to land the job, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Ng and Bloom are still being considered for the position, per Puma.
Littlefield, if not already eliminated, is considered a “long shot” at this juncture.
Close and former Mets GM Omar Minaya can’t “completely be ruled out” at this time, per Puma and Joel Sherman.

Latest Update — 10/19

It seems that agent Casey Close is also still in the mix. Martino tweets that he, Van Wagenen, Bloom, Ng, and Melvin appear to make up the finalists.
LaRocque is no longer under consideration, Marc Carig of The Athletic reports (Twitter link).
Agent Brodie Van Wagenen is still in the picture after receiving an initial interview, per Carig (via Twitter). (Carig initially tweeted the opposite, but amended his report.)
The Mets only consider Littlefield a “fringe” contender to land the position, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.
DiComo now tweets that Watson did not receive a call for a second interview and is no longer in the running for the position.

Earlier Updates — 10/19

The Mets have interviewed six to eight candidates and will enter the second round of interviews next week, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (Twitter link). Fred Wilpon will join the interview process in place of John Ricco for the second wave of sitdowns. DiComo notes that Littlefield, Bloom, LaRocque, Watson, Melvin and Ng are the six known candidates to date.
It’s not fully clear whether all six to eight candidates who’ve interviewed are ticketed for a followup session, though. Andy Martino f SNY.tv writes that the Mets have not yet determined which of the first round interviewees will be spoken with next week. Interestingly, Puma tweets that the Mets plan to make each finalist available to the media after his or her second interview is completed, so it seems as though there’ll be some transparency in the latter stages of the process.

Have Interviewed/Will Interview

The Mets have interviewed Dave Littlefield for their front office opening, according to Marc Carig of The Athletic (via Twitter). Currently the VP of player development with the Tigers, Littlefield once served as the GM of the Pirates. Of course, his seven-year run at the helm of the Pittsburgh roster was not terribly successful.
Rays senior vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has interviewed with the Mets, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). Bloom has been with the Rays since breaking in as a 21-year-old intern and has steadily risen through the ranks, ascending to his current role not long after the departure of Andrew Friedman (who left to become the president of baseball ops for the Dodgers). Bloom would represent a radical shift atop the baseball ops department, bringing a more data-driven approach to the organization. At 35 years old, he’s half the age of his would-be predecessor, Alderson, and has been a frequent target in previous GM searches.
Meanwhile, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets that the Mets have sat down with Cardinals director of player development Gary LaRocque as well. The 65-year-old LaRocque is a widely respected veteran executive who previously served as a scouting director, director of player development and assistant GM with the Mets in the late 90s and early 2000s. LaRocque has been reported as a likely candidate for weeks.
The same is true of former Brewers GM (and current special adviser) Doug Melvin, according to Puma. He’s slated to receive an interview and, like LaRocque, would bring a more “old school” background to the table as the new general manager in Queens. Fancred’s Jon Heyman linked the two sides back in August.
Recently, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that De Jon Watson, who previously served as the senior VP of baseball operations under D-backs GM Dave Stewart and as an assistant GM with the Dodgers, will receive an interview. He’s currently working as a special assistant to Nationals GM Mike Rizzo. Puma tweets that Watson’s interview took place today.
Puma has previously reported that Major League executive Kim Ng is also expected to receive an interview. She’s been floated as a potential GM candidate for more than a half decade and has interviewed with a number of clubs in the past (including the D-backs, Phillies and Angels) and would be the first female general manager in league history.

Other Possible Candidates

Gordon Wittemyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has previously suggested that Cubs senior vice president of player development and amateur scouting Jason McLeod could have his interest piqued by the possibility of landing a GM spot in a major market. McLeod, a longtime associate of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer dating back to the trio’s days in the Red Sox organization, has been touted as a future general manager for years. It’s not yet clear if he’ll have a formal sit-down with the Mets, however.
There’s been a surprising amount of speculation that the Mets could go extremely out of the box and interview high-profile player agents Brodie Van Wagenen (head of CAA Baseball) and Casey Close (head of Excel Sports Management). Joel Sherman of the New York Post and Andy Martino of SNY.tv have both discussed the possibility of hiring a prominent agent, with Martino indicating that the Mets have talked about both Close and Van Wagenen internally. However, there’s yet to be any indication that either representative will sit down with the team.
In a recent podcast, SNY.tv’s Andy Martino noted that the Mets could still add some candidates to their list from teams that are still alive in the playoffs, with Brewers assistant GM Matt Arnold being one possibility. The first wave of interviews is expected to wrap up shortly, though certainly if the Mets have substantial interest in Arnold or any other exec whose team is still in the running for the World Series, that interview wouldn’t align with the rest of the field.

Not Under Consideration

Indians GM Mike Chernoff had been expected to interview, but that won’t happen, Mike Puma of the New York Post hears. Dodgers executive Josh Byrnes also will not interview, Joel Sherman of the Post tweets.
The Mets reached out to Twins general manager Thad Levine in hopes of interviewing him, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link), but Levine declined to pursue the opportunity. Depending on the title the Mets bestow on their new head of baseball ops, it’s possible that Levine wouldn’t have technically have received a promotion; he already holds the general manager title, though Derek Falvey holds the top title in the Minnesota front office (chief baseball officer). Regardless, Levine won’t be leaving Minnesota — at least not for the Mets.
Similarly, former Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington won’t be receiving an interview after removing his name from consideration, per Martino. Currently the Blue Jays vice president of baseball ops, Cherington is open to new GM possibilities but would prefer to build an organization from the ground up, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal recently tweeted. A third veteran executive, former Padres and D-backs GM Josh Byrnes, is also “uninterested” in the position, according to Martino. Byrnes is currently the senior vice president of baseball operations with the Dodgers.
Though there were initial reports that the Mets would interview recently dismissed Orioles general manager Dan Duquette, both DiComo and Martino have both since reported that Duquette will not receive an interview and is not a candidate (Twitter links).
If there was any doubt that the Mets would make an outside hire at the GM post, the Wilpons have plainly told the media that none of Ricco, Minaya or Ricciardi are considered to be candidates for the vacancy (Twitter link via Puma).

Heyman’s Latest: Giants, Mets, DeRosa, Yost, Lux

By Mark Polishuk | October 4, 2018 at 1:46pm CDT

Here are some of the highlights from the weekly roundup of notes from Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman…

Rays senior VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, Brewers assistant GM Matt Arnold, and former Padres and D’Backs GM Josh Byrnes are under consideration from the Mets and Giants for their general manager positions. Reports from last summer indicated that Byrnes was likely to stay in his current role as the Dodgers’ VP of baseball ops, though it isn’t known if his stance has changed.
MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa “has been linked” to the Rangers’ managerial job, and Heyman also notes that DeRosa could be a candidate of interest for the Blue Jays as they look for a new dugout boss. DeRosa has worked as a broadcaster since retiring after the 2013 season, though he has often been potential as a possible future manager, even interviewing with the Marlins in 2015 and the Mets last winter for dugout vacancies. DeRosa played for both the Rangers and Jays over the course of his 16-year big league career, as well as a brief stint with the Indians (when Jays president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins were in Cleveland’s organization).
“The strong belief is that” 2019 is Ned Yost’s last year as manager of the Royals. Yost hinted at such a timeline near the end of the 2017 campaign, and his recently-announced contract extension only covered the 2019 season.
Infield prospect Gavin Lux was the Orioles’ “main target” in the Manny Machado trade talks with the Dodgers. Los Angeles managed to swing the deal without moving Lux, the 20th overall pick of the 2016 draft. Lux broke out in his third pro season, hitting .324/.399/.514 over a combined 524 PA at the high-A and Double-A levels. MLBTR’s Jason Martinez recently cited Lux as one of his top minor league performers of 2018, and MLB.com ranked Lux 82nd on its season-ending list of the top 100 prospects in baseball.

Latest On The Mets’ Front Office Plans

By Mark Polishuk | August 10, 2018 at 3:01pm CDT

3:01PM: “Several Mets officials” hope that Ben Cherington becomes a general manager, SNY.tv’s Andy Martino writes. Cherington, the former Red Sox GM and current Blue Jays VP of player development, was recently cited as a potential candidate in reports. While he recently said that he is happy with his job in Toronto, Cherington also said he’d be open to considering an opportunity to run a front office once more. Josh Byrnes, however, may not be in the running, as he has told colleagues that he will likely remain in his current role as the Dodgers’ senior VP of baseball operations.

10:49AM: With Sandy Alderson unlikely to return as the Mets’ general manager in 2018, the team is beginning to lay the groundwork for its search for a new baseball operations leader. Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that Cardinals director of player development Gary LaRocque is one of the early candidates “receiving consideration” from Mets ownership, though the GM hiring process won’t fully begin after the season since the Mets will need permission from rival teams to interview several candidates.

LaRocque is a known figure within the organization, having previously worked for the Mets from 1998-2008 as scouting director, director of player of development, and then as assistant general manager. The 65-year-old LaRocque has never been a general manager, though he has over 40 years of experience in various front office roles, as a scout, and as a minor league coach and manager in the Dodgers’ farm system. This track record of overseeing and developing young talent, as well as LaRocque’s familiarity with the Mets, make him a logical candidate for the team as it moves into what could be a mini-rebuild, though New York held off on dealing any of its true roster cornerstones (i.e. Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard) at the trade deadline.

LaRocque also has the sort of old-school front office resume that is reportedly the preference of Mets owner Fred Wilpon, as Puma writes that “the growing belief is Wilpon will look toward a more traditional baseball person” as the next general manager. While more teams are increasingly turning towards younger executives with analytics backgrounds to run their baseball operations departments, as the 81-year-old Wilpon isn’t likely to hire the type of younger executive “with whom he would perhaps have difficulty connecting.”

This stance isn’t likely to be popular with Mets fans, who are already displeased with the team’s lack of recent success and the common perception that the Wilpon family takes too a heavy hand in the Mets’ day-to-day baseball operations. Puma also notes that some Mets officials feel that the Alderson front office “became too analytics driven in recent seasons.”

Mets assistant GM John Ricco has long been considered to be a candidate to eventually take over the top job, and though he is still in the running, Puma reports that New York is “more likely” to hire its new general manager from outside the organization. Ricco and special assistants J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya have been acting as a three-person management unit in Alderson’s absence, and it appears as though the trio will have at least some influence in the hiring process. Minaya in particular “will have a strong voice in the search,” Puma hears from sources.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Riley, Braves, Garcia

By Mark Polishuk | November 4, 2017 at 9:39am CDT

“There may be no ownership group in baseball that is more involved in the selection of its manager” than the Nationals, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes as part of a look at Dave Martinez’s hiring and owner Ted Lerner’s influence. Martinez’s three-year contract is “normal for the industry, outlandish for the Nats,” which indicates that Lerner (who just turned 92 last month) is more committed than ever to finally capture that elusive World Series championship. It could also hint at an aggressive offseason for Washington as it tries to add the final pieces to an already strong team.

Here’s more from around the NL East…

The Braves have a need at third base, but David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution considers it unlikely that the team will look for a major upgrade at the hot corner this winter thanks to the presence of prospect Austin Riley. The 41st overall pick in the 2015 draft, Riley has shown solid power potential in his young career, including a .900 OPS in 203 Double-A plate appearances last season. With Riley perhaps on pace to crack the big leagues as a September call-up this year and then be in the mix for regular duty at third base in 2019, Atlanta doesn’t want to block his progress by adding a veteran on a long-term contract. MLBTR, for the record, predicted Mike Moustakas as a Braves signing this winter in our list of the top 50 free agents.
The Braves’ front office situation is still up in the air, though potential GM candidates could include such names as Alex Anthopoulos, Dan O’Dowd and Josh Byrnes, as per O’Brien (Twitter link) and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. One interesting aspect of Atlanta’s search is that many of the names connected (this trio plus Jim Hendry, Dan Jennings, Ben Cherington, and rumored top choice Dayton Moore) are all former or current Major League general managers. This could indicate that the Braves want an experienced baseball operations leader who would be better equipped to operate despite whatever punishments or restrictions the organization could face once MLB concludes its investigation.
The Marlins are considering stretching out left-hander Jarlin Garcia in Spring Training to give him a shot at a starting job, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes. Garcia made his MLB debut last year, posting a 4.73 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 2.47 K/BB rate over 53 1/3 innings out of Miami’s bullpen. His numbers worsened as the season went on, however, which add to durability concerns about Garcia’s potential as a starter; Frisaro notes that the southpaw was converted to a relief role due to past concerns about his ability to stay healthy and effective as a starter. Assuming Garcia doesn’t run into any injury issues, the Marlins have little to lose by at least kicking the tires on his rotation potential, given how the club is sorely in need of starting pitching help.

Latest On Angels GM Search

By Zachary Links | October 4, 2015 at 11:37am CDT

11:37am: The Angels will only be hiring one GM, not a GM plus a senior baseball executive, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Eppler is the most likely choice for the job, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register hears.

8:58am: Internal candidates Hal Morris, Matt Klentak, and Scott Servais are no longer in the running for the Angels’ GM job, sources tell Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava has also been taken out of consideration.

Now that the field has been narrowed down, it appears that the shortlist is comprised of Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler and Dodgers exec Josh Byrnes, per DiGiovanna (link). The Yankees believe that Eppler will get the gig, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears rumblings that Byrnes could actually be installed as the president to work above Eppler.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the trio of Angels internal candidates who have apparently been ruled out, as well as LaCava. Klentak has been linked to high-profile GM jobs in the past, including the recent Red Sox and Phillies vacancies. Servais, a former major leaguer turned assistant GM, could be lured to Seattle by newly installed Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, according to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. LaCava, meanwhile, has been strongly considered for GM openings in the past and he even (reportedly) turned down an offer to become the Orioles’ GM back in 2011.

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