AL East: A mid-term front office assessment of all five teams
By Bill Felber
Just as his New York Yankees have dominated the first half of the 2022 AL East, so has Yankee general manager Brian Cashman dominated the division’s front office work.
Cashman’s various personnel moves since the conclusion of the 2021 season have improved Yankee fortunes by 7.3 games based on Wins Above Average. That is nearly six games more than any of the division’s four other front offices have managed, and goes a long way toward accounting for New York’s imposing 12.5 game lead in the standings entering July.
The analysis that follows is an assessment of the impact each AL East front office’s personnel decisions since November of 2021 have had on their team’s standing right now. It is based on the aggregate Wins Above Average of moves made in five areas:
- Players acquired by trade, purchase or waiver claim.
- Players signed as free agents or extended for more than one year.
- Minor league callups.
- Players lost via trade, waiver claim or sale.
- Players lost to free agency or released.
Wins Above Average is the preferred metric for this calculation because it is zero-based, meaning that it approximately reflects the number of games by which a front office either helped or hurt its team in the standings.
There was one change of significance to front office leadership in the division this season. Erik Neander, who had been general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays for several seasons, was promoted to president of baseball operations and Peter Bendix was appointed general manager. Otherwise, the key front office players in the division remain as they were in 2021:
Baltimore Orioles: Mike Elias, executive vice president and general manager.
Boston Red Sox: Chaim Bloom, president; Brian O’Halloran, general manager.
New York Yankees: Brian Cashman, senior vice president and general manager.
Toronto Blue Jays: Ross Atkins, executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager.