Josh Byrnes Considered Top Candidate For GM

According to Mark Saxon, the Dodgers are considering Josh Byrnes as a primary candidate to take over their vacant general manager position. The Dodgers just recently announced the hiring of Andrew Friedman as their new President of Baseball Operations, as the last of the McCourt regime has been swept away. After all it is common for new ownership to bring in their own people. Ned Colletti was removed from the GM position that he has held for the past nine years, and moved into a new role as the senior adviser to CEO Stan Kasten.

Meanwhile Friedman is now interviewing candidates for the GM job. Byrnes is considered a likely replacement to take over. I kind of have a problem with this. Byrnes does not have a good track record. He was the former GM of the San Diego Padres, and Arizona Dbacks before being fired from both positions.

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Byrnes began his Baseball career as an intern and eventually scouting director with the Cleveland Indians. In 1999 he was hired as the assistant GM of the Rockies. After two years in that position he was hired as the AGM of the Red Sox. He held that position until 2005, when he was hired on as the GM in Arizona.

Byrnes was the GM of the Dbacks from 2005-2010, before he was fired. In 2010 he was hired on as the Vice President of Baseball Operations of the Padres, reuniting him with GM Jed Hoyer. He had previously worked with Hoyer in Boston, as well as working with team owner Jeff Moorad when he was with Arizona.

In 2011 Byrnes was promoted to GM in San Diego, and on June 22 of 2014, he was fired by the Padres.

I’m not sure why the Dodgers would want to hire him. None of his clubs have made the playoffs when he was with the Dbacks and Padres. Throughout most of his career as a GM, he has built losing clubs. When the Dbacks fired him, they were mired in last place.

But the Dodgers and Friedman hold him in high regard, and have reached out to him about the GM position. According to the reports, he is considered as the top candidate. Friedman would only say that they have spoken with him. Otherwise the Dodgers have not made any official announcement. The Dodgers also have to decide who will be taking over for former farm director De Jon Watson, who left the Dodgers to join Arizona’s front office. The club also must decide soon on whether to keep veteran scouting director Logan White. Many important decisions await for the Dodgers.

The Dodger’s front office and executive team is going to look vastly different in 2015.