Boston Exec Josh Byrnes the leading candidate for the GM position?

[Diamondback Jay]

Byrnes front runner for Diamondback GM gig?

Red Sox assistant general manager Josh Byrnes had a second interview with the Diamondbacks for their general manager's position and appears to be the leading candidate for the job, FOXSports.com has learned.

Byrnes' possible departure comes at a time when talks between the Red Sox and GM Theo Epstein reportedly have reached a snag, with Epstein's contract expiring Oct. 31. The two situations do not appear to be related, however.
Byrnes, 35, is competing with Padres GM Kevin Towers, Diamondbacks interim GM Bob Gebhard and several others for the position in Arizona.

Towers, signed through 2007, likely would remain with the Padres if he failed to land the Diamondbacks' job, but his authority almost certainly would be reduced, with club president Sandy Alderson assuming a greater role.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I wouldn't mind someone with a sabermetric background in the organization.

 

[boondockdrunk]

WEEI is reporting that the Diamondbacks will hire Red Sox assistant Josh Byrnes as their new general manager.
Byrnes, 35, has been highly thought of since he became one of the youngest scouting directors ever with Cleveland in 1999. However, there's little about the work he did with the Indians and the Rockies that looks good now. Time will tell if he's up to the task

Can't say that I like this pick too much... but hopefully it will all work out.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

couldnt we have waited 4 days and just gone after the real thing?????

 

[Ryanwb]

Typical D'backs ineptitude.....

Their final 3 choices were Byrnes, Brian Cashman and Jim Bowden. Bowden and Cashman just signed new deals (Bowden has a handshake deal) so that leaves them with Byrnes or back to the drawing board so they are moving on Byrnes.

I'm not upset with the choice it just seems like this team's management can do no right.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

WEEI is reporting that the Diamondbacks will hire Red Sox assistant Josh Byrnes as their new general manager.
Byrnes, 35, has been highly thought of since he became one of the youngest scouting directors ever with Cleveland in 1999. However, there's little about the work he did with the Indians and the Rockies that looks good now. Time will tell if he's up to the task

Can't say that I like this pick too much... but hopefully it will all work out.

boondock correct me if im wrong, but if he started witht he indians in 99 doesnt he get credit for studs like Martinez, Westbrook, Belliard, and Hafner... that seems pretty good to me.....

 

[Arizona's Finest]

boondock correct me if im wrong, but if he started witht he indians in 99 doesnt he get credit for studs like Martinez, Westbrook, Belliard, and Hafner... that seems pretty good to me.....

Going forward with that thought does he not also get credit for Barmes, Francis, and Holliday.....?

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Typical D'backs ineptitude.....

Their final 3 choices were Byrnes, Brian Cashman and Jim Bowden. Bowden and Cashman just signed new deals (Bowden has a handshake deal) so that leaves them with Byrnes or back to the drawing board so they are moving on Byrnes.

I'm not upset with the choice it just seems like this team's management can do no right.

I think this may be the Yanks and Nats saving the DBacks from their own stupidity. As much as I'd like to see what Cashman can do away from the meddlesome mitts of Stenbrenner, Bowden and Cashman are known to be very similar to the past D-Back decision makers who have destroyed this team with their love affair with overpaid vets.

Byrnes may be unproven, but at least he represents a different philosophical approach. And while it's not guaranteed to be successful, I'm glad the team decided to take the risk instead of continuing with the same crappy methods only with different decision makers that have created this mess.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

It is looking close to official now.

http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com...t_id=1261371&vkey=news_ari&fext=.jsp&c_id=ari

 

[boondockdrunk]

boondock correct me if im wrong, but if he started witht he indians in 99 doesnt he get credit for studs like Martinez, Westbrook, Belliard, and Hafner... that seems pretty good to me.....

Sorry.. that is from www.rotoworld.com

Not my own personal opinion

 

[AZZenny]

Let's just be careful what we wish for. I'm glad it's not a Bowden/Towers type retread guy, but not enough info about Byrnes to have any sense at all. Stats all alone are not good enough, although a well-grounded stat orientation is a better place to start than pure seat of the pants. (And since you guys have almost convinced me JC and then Moorad called the majority of the lame shots I attributed to Joe Jr., who knows if this will be any change at all?)

Wonder what happens with Mike Rizzo? If we lose him, it'll be really unfortunate.

 

[boondockdrunk]

Wonder what happens with Mike Rizzo? If we lose him, it'll be really unfortunate.

It would be a huge disaster...

 

[Arby]

As far as I'm concerned, they should tell Byrnes that he is in fact the new GM, but when it comes to the final say in our draft selections, meet your new boss, Mike Rizzo.

 

[Lefty]

Let's just be careful what we wish for. I'm glad it's not a Bowden/Towers type retread guy, but not enough info about Byrnes to have any sense at all. Stats all alone are not good enough, although a well-grounded stat orientation is a better place to start than pure seat of the pants. (And since you guys have almost convinced me JC and then Moorad called the majority of the lame shots I attributed to Joe Jr., who knows if this will be any change at all?)

Wonder what happens with Mike Rizzo? If we lose him, it'll be really unfortunate.

I can't see him getting rid of Rizzo. This guy Josh has to see he has done a great job in drafting. It would be a huge mistake if they don't keep Rizzo.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

I can't see him getting rid of Rizzo. This guy Josh has to see he has done a great job in drafting. It would be a huge mistake if they don't keep Rizzo.

One good thing about bringing in an unproven, rather than say a guy like Towers or Hunsicker, is that he's going to be more trustworthy (for the most part) of the words of the higher up, and he's probably going to want all the guns he can find. I can't forsee him calling for the head of someone with as solid of a track record as Rizzo. I really don't.

On the negative side, this probably means another season of Melvin Mania is upon us.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Crasnick from ESPN Insider

Josh Byrnes spent the past three years in the Boston front office as Theo Epstein's assistant, watching Larry Lucchino play the role of "interventionist" club president. So he can't say he wasn't warned.

Byrnes, 35, signed a four-year contract today to replace Joe Garagiola Jr. as Arizona Diamondbacks general manager. Throw in a fifth-year club option, and the security is hard to beat. But lots of people in the baseball business are wondering: Will Byrnes be running the team, or merely tending to details while agent-turned-general partner Jeff Moorad calls the shots in the role of Larry Lucchino West?

Byrnes is undeniably intelligent and well-spoken. As a Haverford College graduate with a fondness for statistics, he's generally lumped in with the "Moneyball" breed of young executives. But Byrnes played college baseball and oversaw the farm and scouting departments in Colorado, so he understands the value of having good player evaluation people around him. One rumor is that Byrnes might bring in former big-league pitcher Jerry DiPoto, now the Rockies' director of pro scouting, as an adviser and sounding board.

Byrnes' front office education has been replete with some lumps. He was involved in the Matt Harrington draft negotiation fiasco in Colorado in 2000, and landed in the middle of the aborted Larry Bigbie-Kelly Shoppach trade talks between Boston and Colorado last summer. The Rockies were livid at the Red Sox over the way things turned out, but blamed Lucchino more than Byrnes.

Those missteps didn't hurt Byrnes with the Diamondbacks, who were sufficiently impressed to hire him after interviewing San Diego's Kevin Towers and Washington's Jim Bowden, among others. Arizona officials say it wasn't a case of saving money, as one newspaper report suggested. They simply liked what they saw.

Byrnes knows the National League West from his days in Colorado, and the Diamondbacks have an opportunity to make some inroads in a terrible division. There's speculation that the team might try to move Troy Glaus and/or Luis Gonzalez to keep the payroll in line and free up money to acquire pitching. On the bright side, the organization has a couple of top-notch hitting prospects in outfielders Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin. And shortstop Stephen Drew, Arizona's first-round draft pick in 2004, is clearly the real deal.

After a 12-year major-league apprenticeship, Byrnes is ready to get started. But his success in Arizona could hinge on his ability to co-exist with Moorad as much as his general managing skills. Theo Epstein can no doubt relate.