MLB rumors: Which general manager jobs could be in jeopardy in 2023?
By Bill Felber
AL West
Houston Astros: Team owner Jim Crane cut ties GM Jim Click last winter right after Click’s team had won the World Series, so anything’s possible. But given first-year general manager Dana Brown’s status as a newbie hand-picked by Crane, and given the Astros’ status as a popular pick to repeat this year, change here would pile surprise atop surprise.
It would also label Crane as an owner nobody wants to work for. No owner wants that, making Brown about as safe a short-term front office bet as there is.
Los Angeles Angels: With the franchise rumored to be on the market, GM Perry Minasian is probably safe, at least in the short term. If owner Arte Moreno is truly intent on selling the club, he’ll let the next owner decide Minasian’s fate.
Still, Minasian is under contract only through 2024, and he has failed to produce a postseason team in his three seasons. So if Moreno is in any way rethinking his sale plans, Minasian’s position could be less secure.
Oakland Athletics: General manager David Forst got a promotion of sorts when his long-time boss, Billy Beane, was elevated from team president to “senior advisor.” He’s now the unquestioned man in charge.
But that leaves Forst at the mercy of owner John Fisher, who may want a new front office leader to accompany his team’s move to Las Vegas. Since Forst’s contract expires at season’s end (and absent the cover offered by working alongside a legend of the front office game), Forst’s position has to be considered shaky.
Seattle Mariners: Jerry DiPoto was promoted to team president in 2022, with Justin Hollander taking over as general manager. The Mariners reached postseason play for the first time in two decades with that new leadership team, and they might repeat this season. Unless another team succeeds in poaching Hollander, this front office pairing is secure.
Texas Rangers: Former pitcher Chris Young took over a fading organization and has revitalized it into a division title contender, possibly supplanting the Astros. He works for an ownership team that has shown itself willing to spend money to win, and he’s shown the ability to spend it wisely.
All of that makes Young, for the immediate future anyway, a fixed asset in the Metroplex.