After going three seasons without a general manager, the Los Angeles Dodgers officially filled the position last week by promoting Brandon Gomes. He effectively takes over for Farhan Zaidi, who created the vacancy after getting hired by the San Francisco Giants in November 2018.
The Dodgers initially relied on the trio of Gomes, Josh Byrnes and Jeff Kingston to split GM duties under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. And although Gomes now holds the title, collaboration will remain at the core of the Dodgers’ approach.
“I’m not sure exactly in that it’s not something we’ve written down formally, ‘This is exactly what you’re going to do. This is what I’m going to do,'” answered Friedman when asked what he would be responsible for and what would fall to Gomes.
“I think it’s just a partnership and I think things will change throughout months and years. Things will ebb and flow, and I think through communication we’ll figure out what makes the most sense at any given time. But obviously he will touch all aspects of the baseball operations department, and we’ll kind of figure out how to divide and conquer.”
“I think you look around and appreciate the size and breadth of our organization internationally, domestically, from an amateur perspective, pro, and all that goes into it. I think having a core of people to divide and conquer is what allows us to be as good as we can possibly be in every facet.
“I think from our standpoint — and that’s all I can really speak to — I think it will continue to be a partnership and we will figure out as the months and years go on, of how to divvy things up and not being too focused on doing that in a formal way, but more appreciating where we are in different respects and where one or both of us need to pour more of our energy.”
Gomes, who joined the organization in 2016 as the pitching coordinator of performance, is fully on board with the Dodgers continuing to leverage their expansive front office.
“It’s very much divide and conquer, and we’re going to let this play out naturally,” he said.
“We have such a talented group that we work with on a daily basis, it’s just putting everybody in the best position to succeed and go out and dominate an area so that collectively we’re in the best possible place that we can be.”
Friedman confident in Gomes for Dodgers GM
Although Gomes is a first-time general manager and only a handful of years removed from last playing, the Dodgers don’t harbor any reservations over their front office move.
“I agree that is has been a quick ascension. I think I could argue that it could have been quicker,” Friedman said. “I think just his ability to connect with people and then what stems from that. How curious he was as a player, how curious he is now in this role and his natural leadership qualities.
“You take all of that together and I think it’s a pretty rare executive profile. The relationships he’s been able to forge here, the impact he’s made, we felt like this was kind of the natural progression for him and we’re extremely confident he will thrive and excel in this new role.”
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