Obsessive Cubs GM Watch: Friedman, Beane, Hahn, and Other Candidates Not Named Theo Epstein

It may be hard to believe, what with the excitement of the last three days, but there remain a multitude of candidates for the Chicago Cubs’ open general manager position. And the rumors haven’t died down simply because Theo Epstein has stolen the limelight…

  • Tampa Bay Rays’ GM Andrew Friedman, whose team is on the brink of elimination in the ALDS, could still be interested in the Cubs’ job, says Gordon Wittenmyer. His source tells him that the Cubs’ job is, in fact, the only one outside of Tampa Bay that intrigues Friedman.
  • For his own part, Friedman isn’t interested in discussing the issue right now. ‘‘Right now, it’s almost embarrassing for the topic of conversation to be about me and not on our players, not on what we’ve accomplished over the last four years, even more specifically over the last month or the last two innings of Wednesday’s game,’’ Friedman said yesterday. ‘‘I understand it goes with the territory, and at the end of the season, when we’re done playing, it’s obviously something I’ll address. But right now, all of my focus is on this team.’’
  • Multiple sources are saying that Ricketts’ B-list of candidates, after Epstein, are Red Sox Assistant GM Ben Cherington, White Sox Assistant GM Rick Hahn, and Atlanta Braves Director of Professional Scouting John Coppolella. None of those three would be a surprising name, but it’s worth pointing out that all of the reports seem to find their origin in a Baltimore Sun article about the prospect of an open Orioles’ GM position. That Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun would have the access to divine Tom Ricketts’ short list, while no other local writer can do so, is suspicious. If I had to guess, I’d say Connolly was simply relating a distillation of the rumors that have travelled around for weeks (that he calls his source “an industry source” makes me even more circumspect that this is actually new information).
  • Paul Sullivan has a little more info on Coppolella, who is the least well-known of the candidates. Phil Rogers has a little more on Hahn.
  • Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle hears a stadium deal to save the Oakland A’s is not imminent, and, in that case, Billy Beane should consider many of the options before him. Ken Rosenthal wonders whether Beane might head South to Anaheim.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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