Paul DePodesta is now the General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, which was just recently bought by Boston land-developer Frank McCourt, who failed in a bid for the Boston Red Sox when John Harrington and the Yawkey Trust put the team up for sale.
This is a great move for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Frank McCourt has a little more money (an understatement) than Steve Schott, owner of the Oakland Athletics, where Paul DePodesta comes from, having served under Billy Beane. DePodesta knows the art of angling for a deal and saving money. Under McCourt, he will be a little more free with the dollars, but should not deviate too much from his philosophies. He will attempt to create a new ‘Dodger Way’, much like the old ‘Orioles Way’ and the famed ‘Oakland Way’ still in full swing.
DePodesta is challenged with overhauling a team that needs offense. One order of business is instilling a On-Base Machine philosophy. Personally, I would not be surprised to see, in spring training, the Yankees acquire Adrian Beltre to play third and move Jeter to second.
Now DePodesta joins the ranks of Beane and Ricciardi, who like to swap players together. Coupled with Epstein, the new breed of General Managers have shown an affinity for pulling off three-team (or even more) swaps. This year should see an abundance of multi-team swaps.
Rotoworld predicts that the Dodgers will be involved in several spring training trades, some of who could mark the end of a Dodger career for Paul Lo Duca, Juan Encarnacion, Alex Cora, Adrian Beltre, Dave Roberts, Odalis Perez and Kazuhisa Ishii.
It seems as if more and more owners/presidents are willing to have young general managers. Usually general managers seem to be in their fifties, but all that is now changing. Now it is possible to become a general manager in their thirties. Could it be possible for a twenty-year old (as in low twenties) to become a general manager some day (cough cough)? Yes, if the right person and owner came along.
Many people were unsure about McCourt buying the Dodgers, but he made the right decision in hiring DePodesta. DePodesta’s skills will prove invaluable and given McCourt’s added wealth over Schott, DePodesta should have no problem in making the Dodgers into a power for years to come.
