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With Theo Epstein’s smooth transition to Jed Hoyer at the top of the Cubs’ baseball operations ladder, there isn’t necessarily an urgent rush to set up a new number two. The Cubs have the infrastructure in place, they have continuity, and there is no leadership vacuum that will cost them dearly this offseason if not plugged in ASAP.
That said, this is the time of year when front office transitions take place, and you don’t want to miss the window if your preferred candidate (s) are able to step up. Plus, you want to build up as much front office brain power as possible before the meat of the offseason. And, for the Cubs, in particular, with such a huge transition for the roster at the top, it would be nice to have an outside perspective – if possible – sooner rather than later.
To that end, Sahadev Sharma writes, among other things, about the possible moves awaiting Jed Hoyer at the front office, as he creates a new “circle of trust”, so to speak. We know that Jason McLeod, a longtime leader, is still in the organization, and we know that Scouting Vice President Dan Kantrovitz and Pitching Director Craig Breslow (both relatively new to the organization) received calls from Theo Epstein tomorrow. But it would be surprising if Hoyer didn’t seek to bring in additional spirits to work with him, and frankly, it would be disappointing if the Cubs didn’t do so by importing from outside the organization. The process has started, but it’s clear that diverse perspectives are needed for this next phase of the Cubs.
Sharma identifies some possibilities for Hoyer if he leaves the organization to bring in a new CEO (and, incidentally, these are precisely two candidates that we have already mentioned here when hypothesizing an Epstein transition before that this is not a reality). With the links between the Cubs, Red Sox and Diamondbacks organizations, it makes sense that a former Cubs leader and a former Red Sox leader, now both with the DBacks, be appointed by Sharma: Deputy GMs Jared Porter and Amiel Sawdaye.
Porter was the Cubs’ special assistant and professional scouting director for about a year in 2015-16, but he was with the Red Sox before that and has been with the Diamondbacks since. Although it is well known to Hoyer and there is a preexisting relationship, it would really be much more of an external movement than an internal movement.
Sawdaye was a long-time player with the Red Sox (straddling the Epstein / Hoyer era there) before being brought in with Mike Hazen when he took over as the Diamondbacks head four years ago. Since then, along with Porter (and Jason Parks, formerly of the Cubs), the Diamondbacks have done a remarkable job rebuilding the organization from the bottom up, constantly hitting leads and small deals. I took a closer look at them because of the relationship with the Cubs, and I was really impressed. Hence why I often bring up their front office when the peak of the post-Epstein transition arises, and I also suspect why Sharma mentions them. In other words, I think they are very real candidates for the Cubs.
(Read Sharma’s article for the full meaning, but you’ll come away, like me, thinking he thinks Porter might be more likely than Sawdaye, for what it’s worth.)
The catch, as Sharma puts it, is that Porter and Sawdaye are contractually protected against leaving unless it is for the very top position in another organization. This would not be the case with the Cubs. But would they really stand in the way if the opportunity was there to move the deputy general manager to the general manager? I hope not.
In the meantime, we’ll be keeping an eye on GM research and / or any front office restructuring. It is possible that it is not a question of the arrival of a new CEO and that everything remains the same. There could be a lot of reshuffles now that there’s a new boss. Let’s not forget that it was Hoyer who helped push for the dramatic overhaul of the scouting and player development structure last year. He’s his own man and he may prefer a completely different look for the front office.
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