Article: Is It Only a GM Search?

[Jeremy Nygaard]

The hammer came down on Monday when the team announced that Terry Ryan had been “relieved of his duties.” The press release then stated that Rob Antony, assistant GM, would inherit the General Manager title on an interim basis. Since then, we’ve spent two days speculating about how all the dust would eventually settle.Given that the Twins have had only three GMs over their last thirty or so years, the same number of managers over that period and numerous other front office staff and scouts who have served in the organization for dozens of years, the firing of Terry Ryan made national waves.

 

It’s uncommon to turn on MLB Network or MLB Network Radio and hear the Twins getting more than just passing attention, but it was different Monday and Tuesday. Speculation about who could be considered as Terry Ryan’s replacement was a main talking point.

 

The thing is… it doesn’t seem to add up.

 

Earlier this season, Jim Pohlad talked about a “total system failure” but also gave both Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor a 100% vote of confidence. Two months later, one of them has been shown the door.

 

Not that it’s extremely rare in sports to have a coach/manager/GM get a vote of confidence followed quickly by a pink slip. But we’re talking about the Twins and all of these waters are unchartered.

 

Since Ryan’s dismissal, Molitor has been given another vote of confidence and the national radio shows continue to focus on the “next GM.”

 

But what if there’s more to it? Since Monday it’s come out that Terry Ryan was told a month ago that he would not be returning as the team’s GM in 2017. He was given some time to consider his own exit and decided late last week that he should “get out of the way” before ultimately being fired.

 

What if he’s not the only one?

 

If Terry Ryan had the option to stay for the remainder of the season, who’s to say that other front office members weren’t given the same choice, but chose to stay? What if, specifically, Dave St. Peter, the team president, was told the same thing? It seems ridiculous, given that every indication is that he’ll be involved in the hiring process.

 

This is an organization that - when you really look at it - only reassigns people. Bill Smith? You’re fired… but we’ll put you in a different position. Ron Gardenhire? You’re fired… but let us know when you want to work again. Terry Ryan? Who knows.

 

So what could happen next? It’s all purely speculative, but what if Dave St. Peter is reassigned too? There’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t do well with a title of President of Business Operations. (edit: not Baseball Operations.) There are already a number of people under that umbrella that he’s currently in charge of. St. Peter claims to have very little to do with the on-field product. So why tie up a “baseball position” with a non-baseball mind?

 

That would leave two voids at the very top of the baseball side of things - President of Baseball Operations and General Manager.

 

Looking at only the AL Central, the White Sox (Kenny Williams, Executive VP and Rick Hahn, Sr. VP/GM) and Indians (Chris Antonetti, President, Baseball Ops and Mike Chernoff, GM) have two baseball minds in both of those position. The Tigers have Al Avila in both the president role and the GM chair, but have a separate position for business operations. Same for the Royals and Dayton Moore.

 

Obviously a lot of that only has to do with “titles” and it’s likely that across baseball 30 teams have 30 different titles for the same job getting done.

 

Is this something the Twins would do? A week ago I’d have said, “No way!” But times are changing now.

 

Is Ben Cherington looking to get back into baseball? Would Alex Anthopoulos be interested in climbing back into a GM chair?

 

Will Kim Ng get a fair shot? She’s more than deserving of running a baseball club, offering more background in analytics than the team has ever had, but not the scouting background. Could the Twins lure De Jon Watson from Arizona to serve as their President of Baseball Operations? The duo worked together for the Dodgers and Ng and Watson currently work under Joe Torre and Tony La Russa, respectively.

Who better to have as mentors?

It goes without saying that these would be only a two ways to make a splash. And the character of the Twins as a baseball franchise is the antonym of “splashy.” But - right or wrong - the Twins were willing to make a franchise-altering change and that’s a big step in a different - and hopefully right - direction.

 

Click here to view the article

[mazeville]

I think you're overthinking it. The Twins do a fine job from a marketing/business standpoint. They just haven't had anything to sell recently. 

 

You could bring someone in to be in charge of baseball operations and not mess with St. Peter.

[Brock Beauchamp]

If the Twins forked the presidency into baseball / business roles, I may applaud until my hands fall off. I don't necessarily want to see DSP go, I merely want to see more baseball people in the front office. That's a great way to split the difference.

[Bob Sacamento]

What I want to know is what changed in the last 9 months from letting TR go then to letting him go now.  Just the fact that the Twins got lucky in 2015 and challenged for a wildcard?  Usually if you "fire" your GM you don't do it right before the trade deadline, you wait that out til September then cut the cord.

 

Then this whole hub-bub of Twins already stating they are keeping Molitor for 2017 no matter what the new GM wants.  Is that the same treatment the new guy/girl is going to get?  Can they not bring in their own people, scouts, coaches?  If so, then what should be a very attractive job opportunity gets alot hairier and the possibilities lessen.

 

I think one can all assume is whomever it is, get used to seeing them the next 30 years since the Twins never let anyone go. (jokingly...kinda)

 

But splitting operations up would be a HUGE move in the right direction for the organization

Edited July 20, 2016 by Bob Sacamento

[tobi0040]

It sorta comes back to what DSP actually does. He is the best person in the front office at communicating to the press (low bar).

 

So if he hasn't been involved in the baseball decisions it maybe hard to fire him.

 

I would also find it bizarre to publicly communicate that DSP will be involved in the GM hiring process if he too knows his days are limited. But bizarre, peculiar, etc is sort of par for the course right now

[Old Twins Cap]

Anything could happen.  Jim Pohlad has been reading MLB press guides and now understands how other teams are structured.

 

Twins?  Happy to be living through the Dark Ages.

[Buford_T_Justice]

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't commented in a while, but I remain a faithful reader.

 

Part of me is bummed. I thought what happened last year (the .500+ record) should have occurred this year, but improvement (and degradation) are rarely linear. This is especially informative when considering prospects, which is something that Seth and so many others in this community have taught me.

 

I'm a consultant, so I love change. I embrace the bejeezus out of it. So I'm ready for Ben Cherington. I'm ready for Kim Ng. I'm ready for whatever is next. Because being a fan isn't always easy and is never fair. We all signed up for this, and now we wait.

 

#WorldSeries2019

[nicksaviking]

Snipe John Mozeliak for President of Baseball Operations, and Ill trust his judgement on the guys under him.

[Thrylos]

 

I think you're overthinking it. The Twins do a fine job from a marketing/business standpoint.

 

Please qualify this.  My take is that they are pigeonhalling themselves as a Minnesota/Dakotas team as far as marketing goes.

[old nurse]

What changed is the regression of talent and the inability to fix it. Minor league players being undisciplined and looking like they were not coachable. Health concerns undetected for longer than they should be piled up. When they looked at what wasn't working it was called the minor league development model.  It needed changing. The changes made last offseason in someone's eyes was not improving the product.

 

Dave St. Peter's title and what he does are 2 different things. In the actual baseball operations the Twin's GM is what many other organizations call the president of baseball operations. That is what Pohlad must have figured out be reading mlb.com's front office information. It doesn't mean anything in terms of what St Peter does, titles will shift.

[theBOMisthebomb]

Change should/must occur. If not many long term fans will abandon ship and it might be like the dark days in the Dome.

[Shaitan]

I think you're overthinking it too, but this year is beyond odd. I get letting Arcia or John Hicks go (for different reasons). But the circumstances and timing of so many decisions have been bizarre. Darin Mastrionni, who was so fun to watch on the bases 4 years ago, shouldn't have been in AAA not to mention MLB. Just three of many examples that just don't make sense.

 

But the product on the field doesn't make sense either for the first 3 months, which tends to cause these boulders to tumble.

 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Like Barreiro said, the Twins shouldn't be looking for a GM. They should be looking for a vision.

 

Nothing coming out of spring training the past several seasons has screamed vision, but maybe we are finally starting to see it now this past month. It kinda sorta looks like a team right now.

[The Wise One]

 

Like Barreiro said, the Twins shouldn't be looking for a GM. They should be looking for a vision.

 

Nothing coming out of spring training the past several seasons has screamed vision, but maybe we are finally starting to see it now this past month. It kinda sorta looks like a team right now.

What sort of vision did you expect? Essentially for the last few years you have a team with no real blocks to build around. The dry drafts of 2006-2011 came to haunt the Twins, As the recent drafted prospects mature, as the IFA start to mature you can have a core to build around. Then there is something that looks like a vision and the next management team will look so smart. Until they don't.

[Yossarian]

Try "Win it all" as a vision.

 

I'm still wondering why TR chucked it in before the trade deadline. Did he take a couple deals up the ladder for approval and get squashed? Was he ready to deal prospects (or alternatively certain vets) and encounter disagreement? I'm thinking that while Antony may have the apparent authority to do deals, he may think long and hard before doing anything this year if he really wants serious consideration for the Twins GM job.

[The Wise One]

 

Try "Win it all" as a vision.

I'm still wondering why TR chucked it in before the trade deadline. Did he take a couple deals up the ladder for approval and get squashed? Was he ready to deal prospects (or alternatively certain vets) and encounter disagreement? I'm thinking that while Antony may have the apparent authority to do deals, he may think long and hard before doing anything this year if he really wants serious consideration for the Twins GM job.

I could have said a simplistic vision is win it all. When you start with a roster that needs personal improvement or outright different player as improvement at about 13 14   different   spots, the statement to win it all seemed somewhere between ludicrous and  as unrealistic as in thinking the 2016 Twins could contend

Edited July 21, 2016 by The Wise One

[markos]

 

What I want to know is what changed in the last 9 months from letting TR go then to letting him go now.  Just the fact that the Twins got lucky in 2015 and challenged for a wildcard?  Usually if you "fire" your GM you don't do it right before the trade deadline, you wait that out til September then cut the cord.

 

Then this whole hub-bub of Twins already stating they are keeping Molitor for 2017 no matter what the new GM wants.  Is that the same treatment the new guy/girl is going to get?  Can they not bring in their own people, scouts, coaches?  If so, then what should be a very attractive job opportunity gets alot hairier and the possibilities lessen.

 

I think one can all assume is whomever it is, get used to seeing them the next 30 years since the Twins never let anyone go. (jokingly...kinda)

 

But splitting operations up would be a HUGE move in the right direction for the organization

I think the timing is being overblown a little bit. Yes, it is a little unusual, but not unprecedented or even that rare. Just off the top of my head, the Diamondbacks, Royals and Padres all fired GMs pre-All-Star break in the past 10 years. Also, it doesn't necessarily mean that good candidates won't be available. Neal Huntington was part of the Indians front office in 2007 when they went to the ALCS, but he left in September to lead the Pirates. David Stearns did the same thing last year when he moved from the Astros to the Brewers. Assuming the Twins do a 4-6 week interview process, they will be hiring the next GM in September at which point every candidate should be available.

 

[Everyday Eddy]

 

Please qualify this.  My take is that they are pigeonhalling themselves as a Minnesota/Dakotas team as far as marketing goes.

Isn't that exactly what they are?    That's the group that watches on tv and goes to games at least

[mazeville]

 

Please qualify this.  My take is that they are pigeonhalling themselves as a Minnesota/Dakotas team as far as marketing goes.

 

Fine. Their promotions are interesting -- A Sano Globe is fabulous -- their marketing is strong; many of their advertisements are hilarious. They do a ton of community events. And they do a lot on game days to make it enjoyable. They also brought in a lot of local restaurants to sell food inside of Target Field. And please name one executive from a local, professional sports team who is on Twitter all the time, interacting with fans -- as Dave St. Peter is. 

 

The issue is the on-field product. Not the business. Frankly, given their record these past six years, attendance should be total garbage. It's definitely dropping like a brick, but it's not anywhere close to the worst in the majors.

 

At the end of the day, what happens on the field is what draws people to the ballpark. And that ain't Dave's department.

[alarp33]

 

Fine. Their promotions are interesting -- A Sano Globe is fabulous -- their marketing is strong; many of their advertisements are hilarious. They do a ton of community events. And they do a lot on game days to make it enjoyable. They also brought in a lot of local restaurants to sell food inside of Target Field. And please name one executive from a local, professional sports team who is on Twitter all the time, interacting with fans -- as Dave St. Peter is. 

 

The issue is the on-field product. Not the business. Frankly, given their record these past six years, attendance should be total garbage. It's definitely dropping like a brick, but it's not anywhere close to the worst in the majors.

 

At the end of the day, what happens on the field is what draws people to the ballpark. And that ain't Dave's department.

 

If the only thing that matters to attendance is what happens on the field, why do they even need a VP like St. Peter who's job is apparently to come up with ballpark foods and "Sano Globes"? Couldn't his salary + marketing dollars be better spent on the VP of Baseball Ops and GM (and players)?

[Mike Sixel]

 

If the only thing that matters to attendance is what happens on the field, why do they even need a VP like St. Peter who's job is apparently to come up with ballpark foods and "Sano Globes"? Couldn't his salary + marketing dollars be better spent on the VP of Baseball Ops and GM (and players)?

 

come on, he didn't say it was the ONLY thing that mattered.....do people disagree that attendance is largely driven by the quality of the team?

[alarp33]

 

come on, he didn't say it was the ONLY thing that mattered.....do people disagree that attendance is largely driven by the quality of the team?

 

He said at the end of the day what matters is what happens on the field.  And frankly I agree.  I am genuinely wondering why we are giving St. Peter credit for his ballpark food and promotions when people aren't coming to the game, and the "brand" has been pretty heavily tarnished.  

 

Was St. Peter not responsible for Bill Smith being hired and the 2nd Terry Ryan stint? Can we criticize him for that?

[mazeville]

 

If the only thing that matters to attendance is what happens on the field, why do they even need a VP like St. Peter who's job is apparently to come up with ballpark foods and "Sano Globes"? Couldn't his salary + marketing dollars be better spent on the VP of Baseball Ops and GM (and players)?

 

This is an utterly ridiculous and nonsense comment. 

[EddieMatthews]

The new GM will have a lot of roster work to do.  When the 2015 roster veterans (Mauer, Dozier, Plouffe, Escobar, Suzuki, Hughes, Santana, Nolasco, Gibson, Perkins, etc.) would have a hard time making most MLB teams, there shouldn't have been much optimism coming into 2016.  

 

The minor leagues have not delivered players with solid fundamentals in spite of their lofty expectations.  Basic fielding and throwing to the cutoff have been missing.  Strikeout ratios and plate discipline, inability to bunt or advance runners also missing. Some fans have been hopeful of Dougie Baseball as the next manager, but he has had these guys at A and AA ball.  Pitcher development is non-existent.  

 

Yes, there need to be changes in the entire team management structure.  Loyalty is a reward for a job well done.  The job "well done" has to focus on winning, not just profits.  Butts in the seats and sales of merchandise and food will occur at Target Field with a competitive product on the field.  I hope Pohlad gets this basic concept.

 

 

[Everyday Eddy]

The Target Field experience and Twins brand (non-baseball) is adequate so if they separate St. Peter from all baseball activities,    keeping him around is ok and a non-issue in my book

[HitInAPinch]

 

Change should/must occur. If not many long term fans will abandon ship and it might be like the dark days in the Dome.

I highly doubt that....

[alarp33]

 

This is an utterly ridiculous and nonsense comment. 

 

Ok.  Thanks for the response and feedback

[mazeville]

 

Ok.  Thanks for the response and feedback

 

No problem. 

 

But seriously, if you look at other baseball departments, they have executives in charge of business operations. Like other organizations, some are flatter than others. But you're going to have executives in charge of these functions. The Chicago Cubs has a president of business operations, for instance. He is not as big a figure as Theo Epstein. But he is still important.

 

You could hire someone who would be on the same level as Dave St. Peter and it would be fine. I'm guessing that the search firm will help influence what kind of structure the top candidates will demand. But either way, there is no reason to get rid of him. Baseball operations are very different from business operations.

[alarp33]

 

No problem. 

 

But seriously, if you look at other baseball departments, they have executives in charge of business operations. Like other organizations, some are flatter than others. But you're going to have executives in charge of these functions. The Chicago Cubs has a president of business operations, for instance. He is not as big a figure as Theo Epstein. But he is still important.

 

You could hire someone who would be on the same level as Dave St. Peter and it would be fine. I'm guessing that the search firm will help influence what kind of structure the top candidates will demand. But either way, there is no reason to get rid of him. Baseball operations are very different from business operations.

 

Sure, I thought it was fairly obvious I was being facetious when I suggested having no Marketing or Ops Manager.  

 

My issue with St. Peter is people acting like he is doing a good job because new food gets introduced and they have interesting promotions.  He is the President, the Owner just said whoever comes in will work under him, and that he will have a large part in picking the new GM.  Totally unqualified for that by everything I can tell, and he is O for 2 with 2 big strikeouts picking GM's thus far... 

[troyhobbs]

Hopefully it is only a GM search and think they've found their man.  66.67 winning percentage under Antony, hard to argue with those results. Clearly they've identified and addressed the problem. I'm getting my 2017 season tickets today!