Morning A’s fans!
The A’s have cast a growing net in their search for their next General Manager. Looking to replace their former long-time GM David Forst with someone capable of getting the A’s back to the playoffs, the first names to emerge were former GM’s James Click and Mike Rizzo, as well as current A’s assistant GM Billy Owens, who has been with the organization for the better part of three decades.
Well now we can add a couple more names to the list of potential new voices for the front office.
Joe Doyle of OverSlotBaseball threw out a post a couple of days ago naming Red Sox assistant GM’s Mike Groopman and Taylor Smith as the newest candidates to lead the Athletics heading into Las Vegas:
The AGM’s have been speculatively connected to bigger jobs over the past couple of years, especially Mike Groopman. The 41-year-old originally worked under current Mets PBO David Stearns in Milwaukee in their international scouting and player development department before getting a promotion and joining the Red Sox in 2022. He’s done a bit of everything with Boston but was especially involved in roster building, and is largely credited within the Red Sox’s organization for pushing the Garrett Crochet trade over the top.
He originally was in charge of analytics under then-GM Chaim Bloom, who famously delegated different duties to his lieutenants. But he would eventually secede those responsibilities to the other name connected in Joe Doyle’s report, fellow assistant GM Taylor Smith. Smith is yet another graduate of the Rays’ organization, joining the AL East rivals in 2024 after being Tampa’s director of “predictive modeling”. Since he’s been with the Red Sox for a shorter amount of time it’d be fair to assume he’s lower on the totem pole within the Boston front office but many in the league think it’s just a matter of time until he gets to build his own team somewhere.
Both of these guys have had interviews for full GM spots before with Boston, though these might be their first for new organizations. Between the two, Groopman seems to have more hands-on experience while Smith might have more of an analytical mind. If the A’s want a first-time GM, and one who comes from outside of the organization, you could do a lot worse than starting with these two guys. Is that the direction the team wants to go though with Las Vegas now just a year away? We’ll have to wait and see but there’s rumors they might pick their man before the season is over.
Have a great Thursday everyone.
A’s Coverage:
- A’s Comeback Falls Short in 4-3 Loss to the Rays
- Paralyzed A’s prospect Lasko released from rehab facility to ovation from staff
- Rays Walk-off A’s, 2-1, in Series Opener
- Injuries Out Of Control, But Why?
- No. 2 prospect in baseball De Vries undergoes successful shoulder surgery
- 2027 Infield Landscape Ever Changing
- A’s Win Series, Beat Mariners 8-7
- A’s Walk Off Blue Jays 6-5
- “Fast Movers” Might Be Key To Contention
- What the A’s Hiring Mike Rizzo would Signal and the Questions it Would Raise
- Bi-Polar Performance Arcs Make Evaluation Difficult
- A’s Designate José Suarez For Assignment
- Q&A: Clarke determined to finish strong with A’s after long IL stint
- It’s Been a Bummer Summer in Sacramento
- The A’s valuation rises with sales of 2 MLB clubs as Las Vegas move looms
- Your 2026 Hacktastic A’s
- Athletics Considering James Click For GM Vacancy
- Daejon Love case brings back Eric Byrnes’ bizarre story of an A’s bat boy impersonation
- Get the best of Athletics Nation on the new SB Nation app
MLB News and Interest:
- Yankees activate Schmidt from 60-day IL, DFA Cabrera
- Phillies place Jesús Luzardo on IL with shoulder inflammation
- Jameson Taillon Seeking Additional Opinions On Elbow, Won’t Return This Season
- Twins’ shortstop Kaelen Culpepper to injured list with hamstring strain
- Cardinals activate rookie 2B JJ Wetherholt from injured list
- D-backs To Activate Ryne Nelson, Designate Derek Law For Assignment
- Will these 5 teams take the next step in 2027?
- Picking the best player at each position who wasn’t a 2026 All-Star
- Today in Baseball History
Best of X:
Fantastic development for Ryan Lasko leaving the hospital!
No Devin Taylor this Fall League. Instead Breyson Guedez getting extra work this offseason:
Time to start thinking about the prospects the A’s need to protect from the Rule 5 Draft this offseason:
Positive signs but definitely not enough to prevent the team from adding pitching this offseason:
