The Detroit Tigers are building themselves out quite the former-Cubs-family-tree in the front office.
With former Cubs executive Scott Harris having been imported last year (from the Giants) to lead baseball operations, he now gets to select his General Manager, and it’s another former Cubs executive:
You may recall that Greenberg was the former Cubs Assistant GM who went the extremely unusual route of moving over to the hockey world to a similar role in their front office about a year and a half ago. He had been with the Cubs for about 11 years before that, so he has a great deal more professional experience in the baseball world than in the hockey world. Who knows, maybe his time with the Blackhawks will have provided him with a unique perspective on how to port over some new knowledge and approaches to baseball.
In any case, it’s clear that Harris and Greenberg must have gotten on well together in their time with the Cubs, and I think it’s pretty notable that the top decision-makers with the Tigers are both formerly associated with the Cubs – having worked directly with Cubs President Jed Hoyer. That doesn’t mean there will definitely be additional transactions forthcoming between the organizations, but it certainly can make the conversations a little smoother. It’s also sometimes the case that a guy who goes to a new organization has long had a particular affection for prospect or player X, and then they make a concerted effort to specifically target that guy. Given the Cubs’ overflowing farm system and possible need to make some moves on that front, I’d definitely keep your eyes on the Tigers this offseason.