I wish they would have handled DD like this, too but the suddenness makes me think something came to a head last night.Regarding Wren and LaRussa: both are still well connected and well thought of among the MLB inner circle. The optics are indeed better if they part ways sometime during the quiet part of the offseason: "The Red Sox announced today that Tony LaRussa will not be returning to the Red Sox for the 2020 season. We wish to thank him for his contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors."
The next GM will want to hire his own advisors, and handling the incumbents will make it easier for the new GM to attract his desired candidates. Last thing the new GM would want to hear from a promising candidate: "I'd love to join you, but I saw how they dumped Wren and LaRussa for no reason during the regular season, and no way I want that to happen to me".
Reports posted in the other thread say that DD pressed for “clarity” on his situation. I doubt the Sox will be considered a less attractive employer because they honored DD’s request that he be fired promptly if he wasn’t going to be extended.I wish they would have handled DD like this, too but the suddenness makes me think something came to a head last night.
Thanks, Mauf, I hadn't seen that.Reports posted in the other thread say that DD pressed for “clarity” on his situation. I doubt the Sox will be considered a less attractive employer because they honored DD’s request that he be fired promptly if he wasn’t going to be extended.
I'm good with either of these.I hope this doesn't happen, but they should send Andrew Friedman's contract to Chaim Bloom and Erik Neander and tell them both that the first one to sign it gets the job.
I think it's highly unlikely that's the case.I'm not sure the next GM has to be outside the organization. Good and talented people can work within available budgets, and it's not like the Sox are going to become the KC Royals or even Tampa from a budget perspective. The goal should be to hire the best available candidate, and then put in the organizational structure to make him or her successful. If the best person currently has an office at Fenway, so be it.
The initial reviews are that any of the 3 assistants currently holding the co-GM title would be well qualified to at least be considered. Just because they worked for Dombrowski doesn't mean they are a clone of DD. (for the record, I am not talking about LaRussa or Wren).I think it's highly unlikely that's the case.
Just look at the names in this thread and the DD thread.
An internal hire would seem to be a worst case scenario.
your last line is why i wrote the last line of my post.The initial reviews are that any of the 3 assistants currently holding the co-GM title would be well qualified to at least be considered. Just because they worked for Dombrowski doesn't mean they are a clone of DD. (for the record, I am not talking about LaRussa or Wren).
We don't yet know who's going to be available, beyond the speculation. Hazen or Hoyer may not be available, or may decline for other reasons.
I believe it i's four assistants holding the job. Raquel Ferreira being the fourth.The initial reviews are that any of the 3 assistants currently holding the co-GM title would be well qualified to at least be considered. Just because they worked for Dombrowski doesn't mean they are a clone of DD. (for the record, I am not talking about LaRussa or Wren).
We don't yet know who's going to be available, beyond the speculation. Hazen or Hoyer may not be available, or may decline for other reasons.
Are you old enough to remember pre-suspension SiaS? Because JWH couldn’t be more different.your last line is why i wrote the last line of my post.
Hopefully they won't decline because Boston should be one of the top jobs...but Henry having a Steinbrenner-esque decade may not have been the best thing for the gig.
I'm not.Are you old enough to remember pre-suspension SiaS? Because JWH couldn’t be more different.
A Google search brings up a whole bunch of articles on the tenure of field managers; the median is in the 3-4 year range. Much less has been written about the tenure of GMs; this article from a few years ago pegs the median at about 6 years. (Note that I’m using “GM” to refer to the head of baseball operations, regardless of actual title.)I'm not.
But 4 managers and 3 GMs in less than 10 years is pretty George-esque, no?
That's nice, but I hope that they also bring in Chaim Bloom as part of this first round of candidates. He should be at the top of their list.Just heard McAdam on the Sox pregame and he's got an article.coming out tonight talking about how the sox are going to aim sky high at first- namely Friedman, Epstein, Antonetti and Luhnow.
He doubts they will be successful but he says that's where they are going first
Agreed. He's a no brainer better than the current internal candidates. He's been a key piece of the Tampa FO through multiple iterations of their run with a shoestring budget.That's nice, but I hope that they also bring in Chaim Bloom as part of this first round of candidates. He should be at the top of their list.
How a self promoter and wildly overrated manager such as Maddon has lasted this long under Theo is shocking to me.Listened to a long interview with Theo this morning on Chicago radio, St Louis radio station was playing it back. He really trashed how badly they have played and scorched Maddon. “Completely uninspired baseball with poor fundamentals.”
Putting here because it sure sounded like the beginning of an exit strategy.
Why? What's the story there? Sworn enemies? Nuggies?The issue with bringing in Theo is that there is no way, no how he will work for Kennedy.
Why would he have to? I think bringing Theo back is a pipe dream, but presumably part of bringing him back would involve him having Dombrowski's old title at the very least. And Dombrowski did not answer to or "work for" Kennedy. They were essentially equals running different aspects of the organization with only Henry and Werner above them.The issue with bringing in Theo is that there is no way, no how he will work for Kennedy.
More power/title and more money?Theo still has two years left on his contract (rumored to be up to $10 million per year) and President of Baseball Operations is a lateral move. How is this supposedly getting done?
You can't give him more power or a loftier title than he already has, unless you offer him a partnership in the team.More power/title and more money?
All this logic pretty much applies to Hoyer as well, and he would seem to be a more realistic target since the Sox can offer him a promotion.The best part of bringing in Theo is that there likely wouldn't be any significant brain drain - they could elevate Romero or Ferreira to the GM position, thus ensuring organizational continuity. You'd have to think that they and O'Halloran and Scott would relish working for Theo again after dealing with DD's Old Boys Club the past few years. They seem to be highly regarded in baseball circles and certainly played a major part in developing the current homegrown core so I don't think a housecleaning is in order.
Presumably if this season ends badly the Cubs will blow it up. Ricketts might just let him walk away.Theo still has two years left on his contract (rumored to be up to $10 million per year) and President of Baseball Operations is a lateral move. How is this supposedly getting done?
Brady's house is probably still available.Hoyer and his wife just bought a 3-million dollar mansion in Chicago this summer. That might seriously restrict his mobility.
He was in escrow on a house purchase when he left SD for Chicago. There are plenty of reasons he might not want to come here, but I don’t think real estate would be a hold up.Hoyer and his wife just bought a 3-million dollar mansion in Chicago this summer. That might seriously restrict his mobility.
Let's be real, future GMs of this team need to adopt the "rent dont buy" strategy.Brady's house is probably still available.
Why? What's the story there? Sworn enemies? Nuggies?
First, I just don't see Theo working for anyone but the owners at this stage of his career. He certainly doesn't need to report to anyone else at this stage of his career. But Kennedy does have the title of President & CEO, and I thought I saw one post in the other thread citing a news article mentioning differences between Dombrowski and Kennedy.Why would he have to? I think bringing Theo back is a pipe dream, but presumably part of bringing him back would involve him having Dombrowski's old title at the very least. And Dombrowski did not answer to or "work for" Kennedy. They were essentially equals running different aspects of the organization with only Henry and Werner above them.
Kennedy and Epstein have known each other most of their lives. They grew up together and played baseball together at Brookline HS. I don't think there is any rift between them and I think they would look at it as working together and not one working for the other.First, I just don't see Theo working for anyone but the owners at this stage of his career. He certainly doesn't need to report to anyone else at this stage of his career. But Kennedy does have the title of President & CEO, and I thought I saw one post in the other thread citing a news article mentioning differences between Dombrowski and Kennedy.
I doubt very much Theo is coming back regardless. But if he does it would have to be on his own terms; he's been burned twice already.