This winter's round of signings and trades are, for the most part, over and done with. So the time for assessment has arrived.
It's not hard to find opinions on how each team's general manager has fared throughout the most recent Hot Stove season, but we're going to widen the scope a bit. What follows are the "GM Rankings" for MLB's current crop of top executives. The rankings are, of course, highly subjective, and they're based mostly on each GM's tenure with his current team (although, for those GMs who have toiled elsewhere we'll give minor consideration to their entire bodies of work).
So let's light this candle …
1. John Schuerholz, Braves
On the job since … October 1990
Playoff appearances: 14
The peerless GM running the peerless organization, so there's really no argument here. Schuerholz has, of course, won consistently and convincingly, and he's also managed to maintain a generally strong farm system over the years.
2. Walt Jocketty, Cardinals
On the job since … October 1994
Playoff appearances: 7
No GM is better at pulling off the big trade. Since coming to St. Louis, Jocketty has executed one-sided deals for players like Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Edgar Renteria, Woody Williams, Mike Timlin, Darryl Kile, Larry Walker, Dennis Eckersley, Fernandos Vina and Tatis and Chuck Finley, among others.
3. Terry Ryan, Twins
On the job since … September 1994
Playoff appearances: 4
Billy Beane gets most of the ink when it comes to small-market success stories, but Ryan's work has been even more impressive. Under Ryan, the Twins have cultivated a tremendous eye for amateur talent and knack for identifying (and nabbing) projectable prospects in other organizations.
4. Billy Beane, A's
On the job since …October 1997
Playoff appearances: 5
Tight budget, much success. Now he's done it without two-thirds of the "Big Three" in the rotation, and the A's have finally won a playoff series.
5. Theo Epstein, Red Sox
On the job since … November 2002
Playoff appearances: 3
Epstein works with tremendous payroll flexibility, but he also does a fine job of vetting the "freely available talent" markets (see: Papi, Big). Under Epstein, the Sox have the occasional weakness for conspicuous consumption, but on the whole they've been quite successful since he took over.
6. Dave Dombrowski, Tigers
On the job since … October 2002
Playoff appearances: 1
Under Dombrowski, the Tigers have become one of most daring teams in baseball when the amateur draft comes around. They won the pennant last season, and with all those power arms in the system they're not going anywhere.
7. Kevin Towers, Padres
On the job since … November 1995
Playoff appearances: 4
He's in a class with Beane and Ryan in terms of succeeding without loosened purse strings. The difference is that Towers has been doing it for years. For the first time in franchise history, the Pads have reeled off three straight winning seasons.
8. Kenny Williams, White Sox
On the job since … October 2000
Playoff appearances: 1
Five years ago, Williams would've been near the bottom of this list. No exec in recent memory has evolved to such a degree. He identifies weaknesses and addresses them efficiently, and he often deals from a position of strength on the trade market.
The Mets' Omar Minaya and the Braves' John Schuerholz are trying to one-up each other in the NL East. (Rich Pilling/MLB / Getty Images)
9. Omar Minaya, Mets
On the job since …September 2004
Playoff appearances: 1
Minaya trusts his youngsters and does well in terms of identifying premium talent and filling holes on the roster. He's also made the Mets the destination for Latin talent. Let's also not forget the solid work he did under impossible circumstances with Montreal.
10. Larry Beinfest, Marlins
On the job since … February 2002
Playoff appearances: 1
Perhaps the most underrated operator in the game today. Beinfest has a World Series ring, and he did a tremendous job of trading off vets for young talent at the behest of Jeffrey Loria.
11. Brian Cashman, Yankees
On the job since … February 1998
Playoff appearances: 9
It's difficult to know which decisions Cashman is making and which are dictated to him from on high. The Yankees have won and won often on his watch, but those limitless coffers have more than a little to do with that.
12. Bill Stoneman, Angels
On the job since … November 1999
Playoff appearances: 3
Stoneman makes seriously questionable contract decisions from time to time (e.g., Darin Erstad, Gary Matthews Jr.), but there's no questioning the overall success he's had.
13. Mark Shapiro, Indians
On the job since … November 2001
Playoff appearances: 0
Outstanding job assembling the young talent that's now in place. Occasionally gets desperate in the search for relievers and is overly loyal to Eric Wedge. Still, the Tribe's poised for a nice run in the brutal AL Central.
14. Doug Melvin, Brewers
On the job since …September 2002
Playoff appearances: 0
Never deserved to be fired at Texas. Brewers farm system improved under Melvin, and they're now darkhorse contenders in the NL Central.
15. Pat Gillick, Phillies
On the job since … November 2005
Playoff appearances: 0
Since leaving Toronto, Gillick's success has mostly been a matter of good timing. Poor track record of building farm systems, but a capable "win now" exec.
16. Josh Byrnes, Diamondbacks
On the job since … November 2005
Playoff appearances: 0
Too early to make any lasting judgments about Byrnes, but he's one of the brightest young GMs in the game today. Nice work seamlessly integrating the wealth of young talent. Javier Vazquez trade was a masterstoke.
17. Brian Sabean, Giants
On the job since … September 1996
Playoff appearances: 4
The Giants have won a pennant and three division titles under Sabean, but his neglect of the farm system and his willingness to part with the few prospects the Giants have developed are not to his credit. Neither is his undying fondness for decline-phase veterans.
18. Tim Purpura, Astros
On the job since …November 2004
Playoff appearances: 1
The ‘Stros have won a pennant under Purpura, but Gerry Hunsicker's fingerprints were all over that team. He's done little to distinguish himself, but he's kept Houston in the competitive fray. Purpura, like Towers, Epstein and Cashman, is skilled at blending statistical and traditional methods of evaluating talent. Long-term, he should become one of the game's best.
19. Dayton Moore, Royals
On the job since … June 2006
Playoff appearances: 0
Moore has made some nifty additions during his brief tenure, but the trade of Andy Sisco for yet another DH/corner defender type was highly dubious. Lots of work ahead in a ruthlessly tough division, but elite talents like Alex Gordon and Billy Butler are on the way.
20. J.P. Ricciardi, Blue Jays
On the job since … November 2001
Playoff appearances: 0
Last season, the Jays finished higher than third place for the first time 1993. He's made the organization more efficient, but the farm system has foundered badly under him, mostly because of his college-heavy drafts. Ricciardi's social skills and media savvy also leave much to be desired.
21. Ned Colletti, Dodgers
On the job since … November 2005
Playoff appearances: 1
The Dodgers netted a playoff appearance in Colletti's first season, but in the process he traded away a number of high-ceiling prospects. He learned his craft under Sabean, so the "prospects are bargaining chits" mentality was heavily inculcated.
22. Andrew Friedman, Devil Rays
On the job since … November 2005
Playoff appearances: 0
Very little track record to go on, but so far Friedman has failed where Chuck LaMar failed — in finding pitching. That's the challenge going forward.
23. Jon Daniels, Rangers
On the job since … October 2005
Playoff appearances:
Daniels has done some good things, but he's betrayed a questionable eye for pitching. The Rangers' front office needs to understand that groundball pitchers are a necessity, and chasing the likes of Barry Zito (thankfully for Texas he signed elsewhere) is not defensible. He also took the short end of the Alfonso Soriano trade with D.C.
24. Jim Bowden, Nationals
On the job since … October 2004
Playoff appearances: 0
Bowden is the depth and breadth of inconsistency. He's occasionally brilliant on the trade market (see immediately above and below), but he's a poor evaluator when it comes to signing upper-tier free agents.
25. Jim Hendry, Cubs
On the job since … July 2002
Playoff appearances: 1
Hendry was brilliant as a scouting director, but he's woefully overmatched as a GM. He's failed to identify pitchers well suited to work in Wrigley, and that trend continued this winter. Hendry's now operating with a high payroll, but it's not likely to make much of a difference.
26. Mike Flanagan, Orioles
On the job since …December 2002
Playoff appearances: 0
The O's these days aren't as miserable as they're often made out to be, and the farm system is improving. However, the pointless — and expensive — patch job remains the hallmark of this once-proud organization. Flanagan has the smarts, but he lacks the autonomy to run the organization his way.
27. Dave Littlefield, Pirates
On the job since … July 2001
Playoff appearances: 0
If you haven't had a winning season in almost 15 years, then you'd at least hope the farm system is brimming. That's not the case with Littlefield and the Pirates. In particular, he's done a poor job managing his 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. There's no discernible plan in Pittsburgh.
28. Wayne Krivsky, Reds
On the job since … February 2006
Playoff appearances: 0
Krivsky hasn't been in Cincy for very long, but he's already done damage. In particular, the 2006 trade that sent Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner to the Nationals in exchange for Bill Bray, Gary Majewski, Royce Clayton, Brandan Harris and Daryl Thompson was, from Cincy's perspective, one of the worst trades of the decade. Like a lot of GMs whose teams toil in hitter-friendly parks, Krivsky acts out of desperation when trying to find pitching.
29. Dan O'Dowd, Rockies
On the job since … September 1999
Playoff appearances: 0
One of the modern world's great mysteries is how O'Dowd is still employed as a Major League GM. He discards prevailing strategies like used tissue, and the farm system has churned out precious little on his watch. He's the guy who gave Mike Hampton the 15th-largest contract in sports history and signed Todd Helton through 2011. ‘Nuff said.
30. Bill Bavasi, Mariners
On the job since … November 2003
Playoff appearances: 0
No GM is worse when it comes to identifying free-agent targets, and on the trade market he's also played a little fast and loose with the organizational depth. He'll leave the M's as an organization that's in demonstrably worse shape than when he arrived.
Originally Posted by DaReds22
