Baseball General Manager

Major League Baseball teams are carefully constructed to create a winning ball club. The general manager is responsible for putting every aspect of the team together, ranging from the players, coaches, staff, and more. Each baseball organization has a GM, and that person is trusted with a large number of responsibilities. Read on to learn all about general managers in baseball.

Definition

A general manager (GM) is a person in the front office of baseball organizations that has the final say about the construction of rosters, staff, and personnel. In terms of players, GMs are in charge of orchestrating trades, signing and cutting players, as well as moving players between different minor league affiliates for the ball clubs. They also are in charge of scouts and drafting the correct players, as well as giving opportunities to international talent.

Everything done by general managers has the goal in mind of selling more tickets to games and winning. Each GM has a staff surrounding them, including assistants, scouts, analysts, and others. Baseball front offices have exponentially grown over time as more goes into properly operating baseball teams.

Roles and Responsibilities

The GM is in charge of putting together rosters, coaching staff, and more to set the ball club up for success. More technically, the general manager figures out travel plans for the team, keeps the club on a budget, and communicates with all different parts of the organization. On top of all of that, GMs also have to keep the owners of the baseball teams happy. The general manager is in charge of all of these responsibilities year-round.

The general manager also acts as the main figure for MLB front offices. Their names are attached to the major moves that occur for the organization under their tenure. The average tenure for general managers throughout Major League Baseball is roughly five and a half years. That number is one of the lowest for baseball front office workers, as GMs are directly linked to the success or lack of success of their teams.

Skills

• Well-rounded knowledge of baseball operations
• Evaluation of player strengths and weaknesses
• Forecasting and planning for the team’s future
• Great communication skills

One of the most important general manager skills is being extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of baseball operations. GMs are responsible for all transactions that occur with players, meaning that they need the proper analysis and be able to use that information to make strategic moves for the benefit of the team. With crafting a winning baseball team comes the ability to be able to evaluate the talent on the team and be honest about each role that a player has for the ball club. 

The success of general managers can be directly connected to their ability to evaluate talent and craft competitive teams. For this reason, the GMs are held responsible for making their teams stand out in the league. General managers must also be able to communicate with everybody in the organization. They are responsible for having good relations with players, talking to staff about what is needed, and discussing with the owner about the team. In addition, GMs are required to deal with public relations departments and communicate with the media in a polished manner.

Best MLB General Managers

Below are a few of the best general managers in MLB history:

• Dave Dombrowski (Marlins, Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies)
• Theo Epstein (Red Sox, Cubs)
• Branch Rickey (Cardinals, Dodgers, Pirates)
• Billy Beane (Athletics)
• Andrew Freidman (Rays, Dodgers)

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