The Boston Red Sox hired Dave Dombrowski to take over as president of baseball operations last week, which prompted general manager Ben Cherington to leave the organization. While he's out of a job for the moment, it won't be long before he finds another gig in an MLB front office.
Due to a number of general managers currently on the hot seat, rumors are surfacing about Cherington's next destination. The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels are currently looking for general managers while the Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners could very well part ways with their GMs after the season.
"Unlike the Red Sox's big bosses, who had signaled for weeks that Cherington would retain his job and power, the Mariners and Phillies have been noncommittal about their longtime GMs, Jack Zduriencik and Ruben Amaro Jr., respectively," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. "Though conventional wisdom calls for change at the top in both locales."
Amaro's contract expires at the end of the season while Zduriencik reportedly signed a multi-year extension last August even though the details of the deal have yet to be publicly released.
"Cherington should have no shortage of job opportunities," adds Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "With his farm-building skills, the consensus among baseball executives is that the two best places would be Milwaukee and Philadelphia. Also, don't rule out San Diego, where Padres CEO Mike Dee knows Cherington from their time together with the Red Sox."
It's hard to believe San Diego would jump ship on general manager A.J. Preller after just one season unless it is looking to add a president of baseball operations above him. But let's take a look at the other four destinations that could be a fit for Cherington.
Milwaukee Brewers
This could perhaps be the best match, especially since owner Mark Attanasio is "known to be serious about analytics," according to Heyman. Current Brewers GM Doug Melvin will step down after this season and assume a consulting role within the organization. Attanasio previously noted he'd like a GM in place by the Winter Meetings but acknowledged that other MLB teams may not give him permission to talk to potential candidates until October.
Well, Cherington is a free agent and he fits the description of the younger, analytical type of GM Attanasio is looking for.
Philadelphia Phillies
With Andy MacPhail taking over as team president after the season and Amaro's contract set to expire, Cherington may not be going that far if the Phillies are interested in him. Philadelphia's front office transition could include moving toward a more analytical philosophy after Amaro rejected such a stance for years, which (on top of the numerous poor contracts given to aging players) may have contributed to their current streak of four seasons without making the playoffs (including 2015).
In his introductory press conference, MacPhail told reporters that "sabermetrics is of intense interest to Phillies ownership now." Jerry Dipoto has also been mentioned as a potential candidate here.
Los Angeles Angels
While it's a possibility, it's also very unlikely. Dipoto resigned from the GM position in the middle of the season due to tension/disagreement with the coaching staff (specifically manager Mike Scioscia), which was said to have focused around analytics. Former Padres manager Bud Black has been rumored to be a candidate for the position because Angels sources told Heyman the organization is looking for "someone who won't try to force-feed analytics."
Cherington, like Dipoto, is a young guy that specializes in sabermetrics, and it's unlikely the Angels bring in a similar GM to work with an old-school manager such as Scioscia. Cherington was also very involved with manager John Farrell, so that obviously wouldn't fly with Scioscia either.
Seattle Mariners
Many picked this club to win the AL West and even the AL pennant, but they're currently the second-worst team in the AL. Zduriencik looked like a mastermind in 2014 after turning around an organization that hadn't had a winning season since 2009. Seattle finished 87-75 and missed the postseason by one game, but things have been vastly different this year and it seems as if he could be on the hot seat.
Sources within the organization previously said that Zduriencik and manager Lloyd McClendon were in danger of losing their jobs. If they both go it wouldn't be surprising if the team's ownership hired Cherington to overhaul the management and get the talented roster back on track.
In addition to those four MLB clubs, the Miami Marlins currently have a vacancy at the GM position and it's possible the Baltimore Orioles lose Dan Duquette if he garners serious interest from outside the organization like he did this past offseason.
Whatever the case, Cherington will have no problem finding a new job and he could be hired before the season ends.
