The Los Angeles Dodgers are left with a number of voids to fill on their coaching staff and front office as a result of many organizational departures in the past week alone.
The most notable being former general manager Farhan Zaidi, who left the club to become the rival San Francisco Giants’ new president of baseball operations.
Zaidi had spent the last four seasons with the Dodgers, assisting president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman with replenishing the farm system and constructing the best possible roster that led to consecutive World Series appearances.
With a slew of hires to make, the Dodgers intend to rely on the trio of vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes, farm director Brandon Gomes and director of development and scouting Alex Slater to fulfill Zaidi’s responsibilities in the interim, per Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
In the immediate future, his workload will be split between vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes, farm director Brandon Gomes and director of development and scouting Alex Slater
Of the group, Byrnes easily has the most experience next to Friedman. He previously served as general manager of the San Diego Padres from 2005-10 and later held the same position for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2010-14.
Gomes, a former Major League reliever with ties to Friedman during their days together in Tampa Bay, joined the Dodgers organization in 2016 and was elevated to his current position last offseason.
Slater has been part of the Dodgers front office since 2014, the same offseason in which Friedman was named president of baseball operations. He has vast experience in the scouting department, so he, too, will be of aid in the absence of Zaidi.