The A’s have named Red Sox Assistant GM Taylor Smith as their new president of baseball operations. In addition to the past two seasons with the Red Sox, Smith spent seven seasons with the Rays (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/19). The hiring marks a new chapter of leadership for the club whose recent past “has been marked by transition and instability.” Smith replaces David Forst, who had been the A’s top decision-maker since November 2022 before he was fired in August. The 31-year-old Smith is now the youngest head of baseball operations in MLB. During Smith’s time with the Red Sox, he oversaw the organization’s baseball research and development efforts — including analytics, sciences, systems and technology — and collaborative work for player acquisitions and development (THE ATHLETIC, 10/19).
For a second year in a row, the Red Sox have “lost a key executive to another club’s top job,” subtracting another assistant GM from Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow’s front office. Smith joins Paul Toboni as Breslow lieutenants to move on for a promotion. At this time last year, the Nationals selected Toboni, who also had been an assistant GM, to be their president of baseball operations. It “wasn’t immediately clear how Breslow planned to replace Smith” (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/19).