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MLB teams ready to play GM musical chairs this offseason

The Brewers, Red Sox, and Angels will all be searching for a GM.

By Matt Goldman
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The 2015 season has seen four GM's relieved of their duties, and as of right now, there are still three vacancies to fill. The Tigers quickly installed their assistant GM, Al Avila, as their new Executive Vice President of Baseball operations and general manger, but the Red Sox, Angels, and Brewers are still without a long-term solution.

Boston is the best set up out of the remaining three organizations, as Dave Dombrowski was named the President of Baseball Operations just yesterday. The Angels and Brewers however still have yet to make any definitive moves that would lend some clarity to their future, and as of now are still searching for a GM.

The Los Angeles Angels

The Angels were the first team to jettison their GM this season, as tensions between Mike Scioscia and Jerry Dipoto reached unrepairable levels. A feud that reportedly began over "an inability to convey statistical data" and provide "scouting reports to players before games" eventually reached a tipping point, and seemingly forced Arte Moreno to choose between the two.

After Dipoto's exit, Moreno turned to Bill Stoneman, their former GM who helped lead the Angels to their first World Series championship in 2002. He had remained with the club in an advisory capacity since 2007, but it was made clear that his hiring was merely for the interim, and that once the season was over, they would start looking for a long-term replacement.

Before Stoneman was hired, the early favorites to take over for Dipoto were Matt Klentak or Scott Servais. Both men have served as assistant general managers for the club since 2011, and while they weren't given the reins for this season, either one is a strong candidate once the Angels begin the process of hiring a new GM.

The Milwaukee Brewers

While the Angels were mired in a very public dustup between the manager and general manager, no such thing happened to the Brewers. Instead, Doug Melvin and the team simply announced that he would be stepping down from his duties as general manager. Because of the seemingly mutual nature of Melvin's departure, he agreed to stay on "in an advisory role through their search", but it's unclear if he'll remain with Milwaukee once that's complete.

The Brewers have reportedly already started their search for a new GM, as owner Mark Attanasio "already has a list of names in mind for Melvin's replacement", and has hired an outside group to help with the search.

With the Brewers out of the race, there doesn't seem to be an immediate need to hire someone now, but in reality they need to fill the position quickly. Milwaukee has already accepted the fact that they're in rebuilding mode, and the offseason begins in just three months, which means their new GM will need to learn the ins and outs of their organization on the fly.

The Boston Red Sox

If this article had been written just two days ago, the Red Sox wouldn't have been listed. However as it stands now, Ben Cherington is out of the job, as he didn't feel comfortable sticking around as GM after Dombrowski was hired to be their President of Baseball Operations.

While Dombrowski is ultimately the decision maker for Boston, he wants to hire a replacement for Cherington, and according to Bob Nightengale, there's already a favorite.

Frank Wren was the former GM of the Atlanta Braves, and held that position until the September 2014. Wren has also served as the GM of the Orioles, the assistant GM of the Marlins (under Dombrowski), and an executive with the Expos.

The Red Sox also have the matter of Dipoto, and what his role with the team is. He was reportedly hired by Cherington to assist with offseason moves, but only on an interim basis. However it was never made clear as to how long his contract with Boston would be for, and according to multiple reports, they will not prevent him from pursuing a GM opening; which there are now three of.

The rest of the league

As for the remaining 27 teams, the Mariners could decide to part ways with Jack Zduriencik as they've greatly underperformed in 2015, and according to a report from Ken Rosenthal, they "have not made a decision on whether to retain" him beyond this year. Alex Anthopolous appeared to be on the hot seat earlier this season, but with his acquisitions of David Price and Troy Tulowitzki, he may have bought himself more time. Although Toronto is planning on hiring a new president to replace Paul Beeston, who could choose to hire a new GM.

This has been a tumultuous two months for front office executives, as four GM's have been ousted in one way or another. It's unclear when the Angels, Brewers, and Red Sox will officially make their moves, but it's imperative for them to act quickly.

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