It’s that time of year, and the Chicago Cubs have lost another member of the front office: former pro scouting director Joe Bohringer is heading to Seattle to become a special assistant to the new GM there, Jerry DiPoto (News Tribune).
Bohringer, who’d been with the Cubs since the new front office took over in late 2011, was switched out of his pro scouting director job earlier this year when the Cubs imported Jared Porter from the Red Sox. Bohringer was reassigned to an unspecified scouting role, which, in retrospect, was probably about giving him an opportunity to take his time and find the right fit elsewhere. With Dipoto taking over in Seattle – someone with whom Bohringer worked in Arizona, and Bohringer was with the Mariners before that – there was an obvious fit. Best of luck to Bohringer in his new gig. I saw him speak many times, and he always struck me as an incredibly bright guy.
Earlier this month, special assistant and former scouting director Tim Wilken left the Cubs in favor of the Diamondbacks.
Elsewhere on the executive front, Alex Anthopoulos was named the Sporting News’ executive of the year … only moments after he’d effectively been pushed out the door by the Blue Jays. It’s become increasingly clear over the last 24 hours that ownership’s decision to bring in president Mark Shapiro from the Indians is what started off a chain reaction that led to Anthopoulos rejecting extension offers from the Jays, and you can read much more on the drama here at The Star. There are now multiple reports that, among his first conversations with upper-level Blue Jays personnel, Shapiro expressed displeasure that Anthopoulos had traded away so many of the Jays’ prospects to make his midseason upgrades. You know, the upgrades that completely turned the Jays’ season around, gave them their first playoff appearance in 22 years, and got them within a couple games of the World Series. Prospects are great, but, as we’ve discussed, there comes a point when you have to use them for that very purpose.
None of that is to say that Shapiro can’t be a successful baseball and business leader for the Blue Jays, or that there isn’t a little nuance in how many prospects are worth giving up at the deadline. It all just reads like a tire fire after what was such a great season, and it’s even worse when you start to project a fall that could be coming in a couple years as the core gets more expensive, slips past 30, and the farm system is depleted. That comes for most teams after an aggressive run. That’s why you’re supposed to really enjoy the aggressive run, and not do this.
Elsewhere on the non-player personnel side, the Padres have hired their new manager, and, well, it’s not either of the two finalists mentioned yesterday. It’s Diamondbacks third base coach, and former minor league manager, Andy Green.
The Dodgers remain the lone team looking for a new manager, though we’ll see a bunch of turnover on various coaching staffs from here.