Article: Five Potential Twins GM Candidates

[Cody Christie]

The winds of change are in the air around Target Field. The Twins removed Terry Ryan from his position as general manager. Minnesota will immediately begin their search for Ryan's replacement and the hope is to have someone new in the position by season's end.

 

So here's where the rubber meets the road... what kind of candidates are available to get the Twins back to their winnings ways?Candidate: Jason McLeod

Role: Cubs Senior VP of Player Development

McLeod has worked with Epstein since the beginning. McLeod has been rumored to be a top GM candidate for years and Chicago's recent turnaround will only help push the envelope. Some of his player development successes include Dustin Pedroia, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo. He's also done a good job of finding undervalued pitchers like last year's NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta.

 

If I were running the Twins, McLeod would be the candidate I would spend the most time pursuing. As recently as last season, he wondered what it would be like at the helm of his own organization. Minnesota might provide the right opportunity, with a budding farm system and talented young players already on the roster.

 

Candidate: Ben Cherington

Role: Former Red Sox GM

Cherington, the man who took over for Epstein in Boston, left the Red Sox front office last August after the team hired Dave Dombrowski as the new president of baseball operations. This basically took away any decision-making power from Cherington. At the time, he indicated that he wanted a break from the baseball work and he turned down opportunities to interview for the GM openings in Seattle and Philadelphia. In his four years at the helm in Boston, he finished last three times and won the 2013 World Series. He is currently teaching at Columbia University in the sports management program.

 

Candidate: Kim Ng

Role: MLB Vice President for Baseball Operations

Minnesota could really make a splash by hiring the first female GM out of the four major sports. While previously working as an assistant GM with the Yankees and Dodgers, she has interviewed for various GM jobs with the Dodgers, Mariners, Padres, and Angels. She has worked in her current position at MLB since 2011 where she works under Joe Torre. When taking the position, she made it clear that her career goal remains being a GM as other executives have made the jump from the Commissioner's Office to a GM position.

 

Candidate: Thad Levine

Role: Rangers Assistant GM

Levine has worked well with Jon Daniels in Texas so it would take quite the offer to remove him from his current position. The duo was behind one of the best trades in Rangers history that sent Mark Teixeria to Atlanta for a bushel of prospects including Elvis Andrus. Before joining the Rangers eight seasons ago, Levine worked in Colorado as the Rockies' Senior Director of Baseball Operations. Levine was a candidate for the Diamondbacks job in 2014 but he withdrew his name before Arizona hired Dave Stewart.

 

Candidate: Hal Morris

Role: Director of Pro Scouting for the Los Angeles Angeles

Ryan had a deep background in the scouting world so the Twins might want to go in a different direction than Morris. However, Morris does have an MBA from Stanford so he could be good at handling the business side of the GM position. Morris also served as a scout for the Red Sox and Pirates before taking his current position. He has been a candidate for the Diamondbacks and Angels GM positions in recent years and many people in baseball circles think highly of him.

 

What names stand out to you? What kind of characteristics should the Twins be looking for? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

 

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[operation mindcrime]

I like the first four you listed the best. Any of them sound good to me!

[Teflon]

I would like a GM who believes defense is a thing, who doesn't default to "safe" over "difficult", who has an idea of not just how the current team will be put together, but also the next four teams. I want a GM who is secure enough to hire other smart people from outside. One who believes in the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the columns of Jim Souhan are self-indulgent, overrated crap. That Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. One who believes there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. One who believes in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and one who believes in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days. 

[CampQ]

The Dos Equis guy is available

[Mr. Brooks]

I hope they reconsider their stance that a GM be hired by the end of the season. That eliminates a pretty large pool of qualified candidates IMO.

[drivlikejehu]

Not a fan of most of those, which I'm hoping just reflects who is best known rather than a real option.

[jay]

These names and even parts of the commentary look a lot Mike Axisa's from earlier today...

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/despite-poor-2016-the-twins-gm-is-a-desirable-job-and-here-are-some-candidates/amp/

 

Dan Kantrovitz and Chaim Bloom are two more names worth looking at.

[tobi0040]

Well. It looks like Antony wants the job, based on his comment today.

 

I really hope they don't go down that road

[Old Twins Cap]

Keep dreaming.

 

Anthony is the choice.

 

One thing about Twins, they don't believe in accountability, they don't want it, and they don't plan for it.

 

Hire from within allows the culture of mediocrity to perpetuate.

 

I guarantee they will not bring in an outsider.  That would disrupt the happy cluster-cuss world the Pohlads have created.

[tobi0040]

Rather than start the process now, I would rather see the Pohlad's pay an outside consultant to provide a detailed analysis on the organization and provide feedback of where the issues lie. Based on those findings, I would have them recommend some names on who could catch us up. Because I have to be honest, I don't think these guys understand how far we are off as an organization.

 

If we are jumping into the hunt now, I would reference the analytics ranking below.

 

I don't understand the Angels candidate. Poor record. High payroll. Poor minor league rankings. Middle of the road at best analytics ranking.

 

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/12331388/the-great-analytics-rankings

[nytwinsfan]

 

I would like a GM who believes defense is a thing, who doesn't default to "safe" over "difficult", who has an idea of not just how the current team will be put together, but also the next four teams. I want a GM who is secure enough to hire other smart people from outside. One who believes in the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the columns of Jim Souhan are self-indulgent, overrated crap. That Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. One who believes there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. One who believes in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and one who believes in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days. 

 

http://www.mememaker.net/static/images/templates/1398.jpg

[Brandon]

Anthropolis, someone from billy beane or dodgers collection of former gms

[troyhobbs]

If Antony doesn't believe it'll be him what incentive is there for him to make any roster moves? I'll put $5 on it that Antony gets the job.

[glunn]

It seems to me that Cody has listed some promising candidates, but I would hope that someone looks closely at candidates from the Cardinals organization.

 

I will be deeply disappointed if the Twins do not bring in a total outsider.

[Halsey Hall]

Let's go get Epstein.

 

[theBOMisthebomb]

Mike Veeck.

[Otwins]

Why not pay whatever it takes to bring in Billy Beane?

It would be less than the Twins will be paying Santana, Nolasco, Hughes and possibly Plouffe

 

[tobi0040]

Why not pay whatever it takes to bring in Billy Beane?

It would be less than the Twins will be paying Santana, Nolasco, Hughes and possibly Plouffe

Beanie has turned down offers from a ton of teams

[T_J]

 

Why not pay whatever it takes to bring in Billy Beane?

It would be less than the Twins will be paying Santana, Nolasco, Hughes and possibly Plouffe

 

Billy Beane is a minority owner of the Oakland A's. He isn't going anywhere. 

[shs_59]

Alex Anthropolous is with the Dodgers and their 6 or so GM's already in house.

 

My top guys would be

 

1.) Jason McLeod  - a Very good one, but i don't think he leaves the Cubbies.

 

2.) Ron Shapiro  -  former Cleveland GM, is decent freinds with Krivisky .

 

3.) Young guy  - someone in their 30's or early 40's .... the next Doug Stearns or even A.J. Preller......  (the guy Jonah Hill portrayed in the moneyball movie got hired by an NFL team or NBA team recently  TOO BAD!!!) -or he'd be #1 candidate

 

Paul DePodesta  !!! - too bad or he'd be my #1 candidate.

 

[zchrz]

Pohlad needs to call up Glen Taylor and get that Korn-Ferry number and let them head the search. 

[071063]

Somebody young and from outside the organization.  It is time for significant change and hiring from within the organization would be a terrible move.

[hybridbear]

After reading this ESPN article I like the idea of hiring Kim Ng.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Hire Ng as president and let her name the GM (hopefully McLeod).

 

That won't happen but a guy can dream.

[gunnarthor]

They all sound good.  My guess is they hire someone else that we haven't heard of yet.  Jim Pohlad seems to hear the fan complaints more than his father did so he'll hire outside the organization.  But I also expect he'll try and save a few bucks so he won't hire a GM that will require a big salary - and most of these probably would.  He'll hire someone who is willing to be the 30th highest paid GM in baseball and is comfortable with having the owner pick the manager.  

[tobi0040]

They all sound good.  My guess is they hire someone else that we haven't heard of yet.  Jim Pohlad seems to hear the fan complaints more than his father did so he'll hire outside the organization.  But I also expect he'll try and save a few bucks so he won't hire a GM that will require a big salary - and most of these probably would.  He'll hire someone who is willing to be the 30th highest paid GM in baseball and is comfortable with having the owner pick the manager.

I would love to call you cynical. But you are likely right. And I think the reason why Molitor can' be fired is he is under contract. This is not what successful teams do.

[gocgo]

If you think this organization needs a major shakeup, Kim Ng is the right person for the job.  Some call her tenacious, others would call her ruthless.  I don't think those are two words that have ever been used to describe TR.

[drivlikejehu]

DSP isn't going to fire himself so that Ng can take his job.

[tobi0040]

DSP isn't going to fire himself so that Ng can take his job.

But you could imagine what it would be like if he did.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Hire Ng as president and let her name the GM (hopefully McLeod).

That won't happen but a guy can dream.

 

This. But, ya, DSP has that job, and Pohlad has already said DSP would be involved in the decision making, so, ya.....not happening.

 

Not a Cherrington fan. He undid a lot of what Epstein did, imo.