Are these MLB GMs on the hot seat?

Yesterday, I posted the results of our third MLB Daily Dish Front Office Survey and we found out that the fans of the Diamondbacks, White Sox, Reds, Twins, and Marlins really don’t care much for their front offices.

"So what?" you might be wondering, especially if you’re pretty happy with the direction one of those teams is headed. "Who cares what a few fans think?" You’re probably right to be skeptical. Ultimately, the 3,343 people who took our survey will have no impact on the direction of these franchises. But they do represent some of the feelings shared by their larger fanbases. And their distrust in the executives running their respective clubs are a bad sign for those regimes.

Consider what happened in the wake of our first survey last year. Here were the bottom 10 finishers in our original survey from last August:

Since the results were published on August 8, 2015, seven of those teams have changed GMs.

• August 18 – The Red Sox hired Dave Dombrowski, and Ben Cherington resigned.
• August 28 – The Mariners fired Jack Zduriencek and hired Jerry Dipoto just as the season ended.
• September 10 – Ruben Amaro, of the Phillies was fired, replaced by Matt Klentak.
• October 4 – Bill Stoneman, who had replaced Dipoto at the head of the Angels, was replaced by Billy Eppler.
• October 29 – The Marlins had made GM Dan Jennings their manager in May, and promoted Mike Berger into the role. On October 29, they announced that the president for baseball operations, Michael Hill, would essentially fill that role.
• November 4 – The Reds moved Walt Jocketty up to become the president of baseball operations, and installed Dick Williams as the new GM with the understanding that Jocketty would play more of an advisory role.
• July 18 – The Twins fired Terry Ryan, and replaced him on an interim basis with Assistant GM Rob Antony.

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, had just made Dave Stewart their GM the previous September, and the Rockies had just promoted Jeff Bridich in October. Only Chris Antonetti of the Indians had been in place longer than two full seasons.

So what does that mean for the bottom tier of this year’s survey?

First and foremost, we know the Twins are actively searching for a new GM. We also know that, despite contending for a wild card this year, Marlins fans have some very understandable trust issues with their front offices. Al Avila has been on the job in Detroit for just over a year, and Dick Williams and Billy Eppler haven’t really had a chance to dig themselves out of their respective holes. They’re safe for now. Billy Beane is a part owner of the A’s, so he and probably David Forst are likely safe.

But, if the past is prologue, Dave Stewart of the Diamondbacks, Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn of the White Sox, Matt Silverman of the Rays, and maybe even Neal Huntington of the Pirates could be on the hot seat in the next few months, especially if the natives stay restless.