Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes could be a part of the Indians' revamped front office once Chris Antonetti succeeds Mark Shapiro as general manager on Nov. 1. Shapiro will become team president.
View full sizeJosh ByrnesCLEVELAND, Ohio — Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes could be a part of the Indians' revamped front office once Chris Antonetti succeeds Mark Shapiro as general manager on Nov. 1. Shapiro will become team president.
Byrnes, in a story first reported Friday by Foxsports.com, was in Cleveland last week visiting with Shapiro and Antonetti. Byrnes started his front office career with the Indians in 1994. He rose to director of scouting in 1998 before joining Dan O'Dowd as an assistant GM in Colorado after the 1999 season.
He spent three years with the Rockies before moving to Boston in 2002 when he was the assistant GM to Theo Epstein. After three years with the Red Sox, Byrnes was hired as Arizona's GM in 2005.
Shapiro, Antonetti and Byrnes worked together with the Indians. Antonetti joined the team before the 1999 season, which was Byrnes' last in Cleveland.
"Mark and I did meet with Josh last week," said Antonetti. "He's a terrific baseball executive, but I don't think he's anywhere close to making up his mind what he wants to do."
Byrnes doesn't have to do much. Fired on July 1 along with hand-picked manager, A.J. Hinch, Byrnes' contract runs through 2015.
If Byrnes is hired, let's hope he doesn't have much to do with the draft. He ran the 1998 and 1999 drafts for the Tribe. Outside of CC Sabathia, their No. 1 pick in 1998, those two drafts did not produce one player who made a significant contribution to the big-league club. That's one hit in 106 swings.
Those two years dug a hole that the Indians are still trying to climb out of where the draft is concerned.
Besides the possible hiring of Byrnes, don't expect many changes in the front office. Look for Mike Chernoff to get promoted from director of baseball operations to assistant general manager. If Byrnes isn't their guy, the Indians might bring in another executive type.
It would be nice if they hired some consultants with big-league experience to replace Jason Bere and Ellis Burks. Bere and Burks were let go in budget-cutting measures after last season. The Indians used to have four former players in that capacity. Now they have one, Robby Thompson. Tim Belcher moved from that position to become pitching coach for the 2010 season.
Wish department: If the Indians have the money, or the necessary spare parts to make a trade, here are two things they should do this winter.
They need a veteran starting pitcher to pair with Fausto Carmona. It's not going to be Cliff Lee, but another Carl Pavano or Jake Westbrook, who will no longer be making $11 million a year, will do.
A veteran No. 2 starter would give the Indians time to finish the development of starters Josh Tomlin, Carlos Carrasco and Jeanmar Gomez if they don't make the rotation out of spring training. Add Carmona, Mitch Talbot, Justin Masterson, David Huff and Alex White to those three and the Indians are starting to build the king of depth them need to compete in the AL Central.
A third baseman is a must as well. Stunning news, right?
There's a good chance Jayson Nix will play winter ball to continue his education at third base, but at the best that will help him make the club in 2011 as a utility infielder. The Indians need a third baseman to keep the hot corner warm until Lonnie Chisenhall, Jared Goedert, or someone else, becomes the permanent solution.
Nice list: Don Mattingly, who will replace Joe Torre as the Dodgers manager at the end of the season, interviewed to be the Indians manager in October when they were searching for Eric Wedge's replacement.
He was a finalist, but didn't show for the final interview in Cleveland. The Dodgers weren't going to let him get away.
Mattingly impressed the Indians in preliminary interviews. He came across as humble, but confident with a ton of baseball knowledge and a passion for the game. Mattingly is the third person who interviewed for the Indians job to be hired as a big-league manager. Acta and Arizona's Kirk Gibson were the other two.