Thad Levine: He served in Colorado's front office from 1999 to 2005 before becoming assistant GM of the Rangers and then GM and senior vice president of the Twins. He left the Twins after the 2024 season. During his eight years in Minnesota, the Twins won three AL Central titles and earned four postseason berths.
Andy McKay: He's worked in the Mariners' front office since 2015, where he's served under GM/president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. In December 2024, McKay was promoted to vice president and assistant GM. McKay was the Rockies' peak performance coordinator for the minor league system from 2012 to 2015. Dipoto worked briefly in the Rockies' front office after he retired as a Rockies reliever in 2001.
Jon Daniels: When he became the Rangers’ GM in 2005 at age 28, he was the youngest GM in baseball history. The Rangers won the AL West four times under Daniels (2010-11, ’15-16), and they reached the World Series in 2010 and ’11, losing to the Giants and Cardinals. Daniels ran the Rangers' front office for 17 seasons until he was fired in 2022. Since then, he's been a special assistant with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Dayton Moore: Currently a senior advisor of baseball operations with the Rangers, Moore was the architect of the Royals' championship runs a decade ago. Under his leadership, the Royals made the World Series in 2014 and returned to the Fall Classic in 2015, winning the championship. The Royals fired Moore near the end of the 2022 season. He was promoted to president of baseball operations on Sept. 14, 2021, after spending the previous 15 seasons as the Royals’ GM. The Rockies were reportedly interested in hiring Moore in some capacity in 2023, but the move did not materialize.
Billy Eppler: The former Mets GM joined the Brewers as a special adviser for scouting and baseball operations during spring training. Eppler was suspended in 2024 after a Major League Baseball investigation concluded he directed Mets staff to fabricate injuries to create open roster spots. He resigned as the Mets' general manager in October 2023 amid that investigation, three days after owner Steve Cohen hired David Stearns as president of baseball operations. Eppler joined the Mets in November 2021 after working as the Angels' general manager from 2015 to 2020. The Rockies hired Eppler as a scout in 2000. After the 2004 season, he was hired to scout for the Yankees.
7 comments
I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave John Mozeliak a call. It would be such a Rockies thing to do. Had a prior connection to the organization dating back to the early 90’s as an assistant GM but has racked up more than enough mileage with St. Louis for ownership to also say ‘see we do hire people who’ve worked outside our organization’. I do think Mo plans to stay retired but I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried pitching him some kind of front office role even as a senior advisor.
Hoping they consider some less established candidates that are currently assistant GMs with successful clubs. Saunders list is compelling but someone (like McKay who Saunders mentioned) who are currently in an intensive role will have a better grasp on the new trends that pop up year over year in baseball. If we have to go with an older guy who used to be a GM/president, I’ll take Eppler though
None of it matters unless they allow the baseball people to have autonomy. Invest in player development and scouting. Utilize data and analytics. It’s not even that hard. Dick can’t help himself though and it’s a huge problem. He needs to just get out of the way.
If I were a betting man, I’d bet on John Mozeliak. Which would be a hire that I wouldn’t find particularly good, but he would be about 10 steps up from what they’ve had.
Thad Levine will be my guess. I’d be fine with all of these and the only thing I don’t want is Sterling Monfort named GM. That would end my fandom.
Someone named Monfort or one of his friends will be the next GM.
It’s a fine list but it doesn’t list the eventual pick: Lord Cornelius Montague Monfort IV.