The Detroit Tigers named Scott Harris their new president of baseball operations, hiring him away from the San Francisco Giants. It represents a significant step forward for Harris, who was with the Chicago Cubs when they won the World Series in 2016.
Prior to choosing Harris, the Tigers were believed to have had significant interest in Los Angeles Dodgers senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes. He reportedly was a top candidate for the position but remains with the Dodgers front office.
The 52-year-old is in his seventh season with the organization, where he supervises the club’s scouting and player development.
Byrnes previously served as executive vice president and general manager for two of the Dodgers’ National League West rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2005-10 and the San Diego Padres from 2011-14.
Byrnes has been a popular name for teams looking to fill vacancies in their front office over recent years and among other potential roles, was a candidate to become the New York Mets president of baseball operations.
In 2020, Byrnes was included with the favorites to land the Philadelphia Phillies’ president of baseball operations job before he withdrew his name from consideration and decided to stay in L.A.
Byrnes began his baseball front office career in 1994 with the Cleveland Indians, working as an advance scout in 1995-96 before being promoted to director of scouting in June 1998.
Byrnes also served as the Colorado Rockies assistant manager from 1999-03 before moving to the Boston Red Sox organization for the same role during the 2003-05 seasons.
Byrnes could be target for teams in offseason
Despite being passed over by the Tigers, Byrnes could very well be a target for teams who have front office openings this upcoming offseason.
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