Baseball not kind to today’s GMs
Loyalty gone as game takes ruthless turn
Finally, after all of these years, baseball’s general managers are experiencing the emotions long felt by their players.
The anger. The heartache. And that bitter resentment of being released, traded or demoted. Now, it’s the GM’s turn. Loyalty? There is none. Performance? What have you done for me lately?
Security? You’ve got to be kidding.
Dave Dombrowski, officially announced Wednesday as the Boston Red Sox’s new president of baseball operations, with his first order of business hiring a general manager, represents the latest twist on baseball’s wild front-office ride.
There have been 10 GM firings and resignations alone since the 2014 season, and considering the Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners likely are next, that will make it an even dozen.
We’re talking a 40% turnover in just two years.
When did George Steinbrenner get reincarnated and start running all 30 franchises?
The plethora of change in this industry has been so dramatic that the San Diego Padres’ A.J. Preller, who was hired Aug. 6, 2014, is the longest-tenured GM in the National League West. Really. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Dave Stewart and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Farhan Zaidi ( brought in by new President Andrew Friedman) were hired from outside the organizations, and the
Colorado Rockies’ Jeff Bridich and the San Francisco Giants’ Bobby Evans were promoted, all after Preller.
The latest victim is Red Sox GM Ben Cherington — yep, the architect of the 2013 World Series championship team and an integral part of the front office nucleus when they won it all in 2004 and 2007.
The Red Sox’s owners stopped looking at those glorious trophies in their offices and couldn’t take their eyes off that 134-157 record on the field since winning the 2013 title.
“Ben won a World Series,” said designated hitter David Ortiz, the club’s lone three-time champion. “You can’t forget about that that quick.” Well, apparently you can. To be technically correct, Cherington could have stayed in his job, in title only. Yet to suddenly go from being the man in charge to asking whether Dombrowski wanted cream or sugar in his coffee, he couldn’t accept the demotion and still look at himself in the mirror each morning.
“We offered Ben the opportunity to stay as GM,” Dombrowski told USA TODAY Sports. “I had a lengthy conversation. He could have stayed. I don’t know him very well, but I have the utmost respect for him and as a person.
“But I could understand it. It hit him very quickly. He was surprised.
“As president of baseball operations, you have control over making deals and the final say in hiring. I understand it would be a transition with him.”
Those tenured days of loyalty and faithfulness are over.
You better win right now, or you’re cleaning out your desk in the morning.
Doug Melvin, who led the Milwaukee Brewers to their greatest success in 30 years — reaching the playoffs twice in four years and coming within two victories of the World Series in 2011 — was bounced from his job a week ago. He wanted to dictate his departure and perhaps get kicked upstairs to a club president. He is relegated to being only a consultant, with the Brewers desiring a GM with an analytics background while also seeking a vice president of baseball operations.
Ruben Amaro, who might have been an assistant GM in the Phillies front office and an integral part of their glory days, is expected to be the next one eased out of his job with new President Andy MacPhail taking the reins.
Jack Zduriencik, who has had seven years on the job but with no playoff berths, likely will follow Amaro out the door, with Chicago White Sox President Kenny Williams coming in, unless Williams instead goes to the Toronto Blue Jays as club president.
Walt Jocketty, despite three postseason appearances in five years, awaits his fate with the Cincinnati Reds, who are 24 games out of first place.
You know it’s a cruel business when Dombrowski is fired two weeks ago and Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch says in his news release that his club enjoyed “some success” during Dombrowski’s tenure. Yep, five playoff berths, four consecutive division titles and two American League pennants isn’t even enough to keep your job anymore, let alone a handshake when kicked to the curb.
Major League Baseball might be thriving, but, oh, is it cutthroat.
The Red Sox, showing their ruthlessness, stole a chapter from the Chicago Cubs in this move.
When Red Sox owner John Henry was asked why he said in June that Cherington wouldn’t be going anywhere for years, only to boot him two months later, he uttered: “Well, one, Dave became a free agent.”
Ah, yes, brings back memories of October, when Cubs manager Rick Renteria was told he was returning. Then Joe Maddon opted out of his Tampa Bay Rays contract. Voila! Madden was in, and Renteria was out.
Henry acted surprised that Cherington didn’t stick around, saying he was disappointed. But, realistically, he knew he was gone.
Cherington, 41, who had spent 17 years in the organization, simply wasn’t about to watch Dombrowski and the regime tear apart everything he built. So he cleaned out his office and left, telling Dombrowski and the Red Sox he would be available if they had any questions.
“I came to the determination what was best for Dave, what was best for me and what was best for the Red Sox was the same thing,” Cherington said at his own news conference. “And that was a clean break.”
Cherington didn’t want to stand by and watch his farm system, which is ranked No. 1 by ESPN, stripped and sold off for parts to help the major league club. He refused to watch some of his trusted and loyal employees be fired. And if Dombrowski turns around and fires his close friend, manager John Farrell, he didn’t want to be around to see it.
He simply could not be fully committed to that vision with a new regime, he said.
Cherington wanted to remain loyal — a courtesy not afforded to him.
Baseball is different now, a mom-and-pop industry that has turned into a ruthless, callous corporation.
“I’m not here to blow up the operation,” Dombrowski said. “There are a lot of good people here. I’d like to enhance what we have.”
Come on, let’s be honest. There will be changes. Plenty of them. There always are with new regimes.
And there will be plenty more GM changes by the time Dombrowski leaves Boston.
Tenure for baseball general managers is as outdated as flannel uniforms. Take a good hard look at every team. Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics and Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees are the only GMs who have held on to their current jobs for at least 10 full seasons.
This is the new state of the game, and it can’t merely be pinned on the analytics craze. The Red Sox were pioneers in the movement yet opted for a skilled, seasoned executive with a more traditional scouting background.
This wasn’t about innovation but locking down a free agent with greater appeal than the guy who built a team that less than two years ago staged a championship party at Fenway Park.
There no longer is a honeymoon period, only a shotgun marriage, with divorce papers lying on the counter.
“Everything will be great,’’ Dombrowski said, “until we lose a ballgame.’’
Welcome to baseball’s new era.