It’s time to add another name to the ever-growing list of possible Chicago Cubs general manager candidates: Cleveland Indians President Mark Shapiro.
From Jayson Stark:
According to people in the game who are close to Shapiro, he would be “intrigued” by the Cubs’ job, and has always looked at the Cubs as a special franchise. Those people describe Shapiro as being happy where he is and not looking to leave Cleveland. But the Cubs’ job represents such a unique set of compelling circumstances, they believe that if Shapiro were approached, he “probably would listen.”
There are no indications the Cubs have spoken with him. And when Rumblings contacted Shapiro, he declined comment. But he seems to fit the profile of the kind of GM that new owner Tom Ricketts is hunting for.
Shapiro grew up around the game, spent nearly two decades working in baseball operations in Cleveland before becoming club president, was in the forefront in embracing new technologies, has exceptional people skills and is still only 43. So he is a name that “makes a lot of sense for them,” said an official of one AL team. “I could see the combination of the baseball challenge, along with the Cubs’ other challenges, having great appeal to him.”
Shapiro is best known for helping turn around a hapless Cleveland franchise as an assistant in the 1990s (he’s been with the organization since 1991), before becoming the team’s GM in 2001 (at just 33). The Indians won the AL Central in 2001 and 2007 despite an increasingly tight budget, and Shapiro was named the Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2005 and 2007. Last year, he was promoted to team President.
Shapiro’s was one of those names floated around immediately after Jim Hendry was let go, but not necessarily as a candidate – it was more of a, “why isn’t Mark Shapiro being mentioned as a candidate” kind of thing. It sounds like that will change now.
Tom Ricketts would think fondly of Shapiro, I’d suspect, given his long track record of success as a GM and consistent focus on player development. Shapiro has also consistently employed advanced technologies – and, presumably, statistics – so it sounds like he’s nailed the trifecta of Ricketts’ requirements.
We’ll have to see if and when his name keeps popping up from here on out.
With the way that Cleveland has turned viable over the last few years, I could see this working out. Not gonna get my hoes up, though. I have a bad feeling about Colletti, however, hopefully I’m wrong.
Er, read: hopes. My hoes can do whatever they want, as long as i get my cut.
Wow. Nicely done.
If he can put up with living in Cleveland, he can put up with the Cubs.
I’d pass on Shapiro. He traded three blue chip pitching prospects for Ubaldo Jiminez this year…
Shapiro Was fired-I mean he was pushed “upstairs”. Rated 22nd out of 30 GMs prior to promotion. The Cubs are considering this guy?
Hey, I’m “intrigued” by the Cubs job. Where the hell is MY blog post Ace?
This just in….. TWC is intrigued by Cub’s GM post.
Getting more intrigued by the minute…
Hippie
How much do you think it would take to get mark Reynolds out of Baltimore
If you are talking about trading for a third baseman, I would rather ask what would it take to get Alex Gordon from Kansas City. Reynolds is a strikeout machine, and with the very real possibility of having Pena at first next year, the last thing we need is Carlos Pena 2.0 right behind the original in the lineup.
Gas money?
Yup, as long as they throw in a bag of “K” signs cause we’ll need the extra for every time he wiffs with RISP.
That’s a pretty long trip though. Might have to spring for one night in a motel… not sure that it’s worth it.
Pass.
No…. Just no…. Mark Reynolds is jus terrible. He is the third base equivilant of Pena except he cant play defence. He isn’t the kind of player we want. We dont need someone who either strikes out or hits a HR every at bat. He strikes out a lot more too.
Potential candidates who say “Absolutely not. Never take the job.” —- 0
Potential candidates who say “Cubs GM? Yeah- I’d probably be interested!” —-0
Potential candidates who say “other” —– ALL OF THEM
I want the first guy with balls.
Wait…. that didn’t sound right (Pshew! Almost posted that without comment! Goat and Toosh would have been all over that)
Why you hating on eunuchs? A eunuchs could be an effective GM, or are trying to tell us something Caleb, this is a safe place.
Dammit.
Hmm…I remember suggesting this. Yes, there was the Jimenez trade. But then there was also the Santana trade.