The list of known candidates for the opening of the position of general director of Athletics added two additional names this morning. Phillies Executive Sam Fuld and Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner are in the running for the job, according to Patrick Mooney and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The journalists add that the position should be filled this week.
The A’s fired general manager David Forst in early August. He had been with the organization since 2000. Assistant general manager Dan Feinstein was elevated to interim general manager for the remainder of the season.
In the weeks since Forst’s departure, the club has been connected with several current and former executives for the opening. Former Astros general manager James Click was under consideration. The POBO from the recent Nationals, Mike Rizzo, received an interview, as did Red Sox assistant general managers Mike Groopman and Taylor Smith. The only internal candidate to come up during the interview process is assistant general manager Billy Owens.
Fuld has ties to the organization. The eight-year MLB veteran finished his playing career in Oakland. After hanging up his spikes, Fuld took on a role with the Phillies as major league player information coordinator in 2017. He rose to the role of general manager before the 2021 season. Fuld operated under POBO Dave Dombrowski until the 2024 campaign. He left the position to earn his MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, then returned to a role of trade deals with the Phillies this year.
Dombrowski is signed through 2027. He is expected to stay with the Phillies beyond his current contract. Getting the top gig with the A’s would give Fuld a chance to be the primary decision maker for the first time.
Banner spent several years in a player development role with the Red Sox and Mets before joining the Cubs organization in 2020. He was promoted to assistant general manager at the end of the 2023 season.
As Mooney and Rosenthal note, Banner played a major role in bringing in the outfielder Pete Crow Armstrong in Chicago. He made the case for the acquisition after overseeing the development of PCA within the Mets organization. Cubs send shortstop Javier Baez and right-handed Trevor Williams to the Mets for Crow-Armstrong at the 2021 trade deadline.
The A’s have missed the playoffs for six straight seasons. The club has finished fourth or worse in the AL West in each of the last five years. The roster boasts plenty of hitting talent, headlined by Nick Kurtz, Shea LangeliersAnd Tyler Soderstrom. The rotation and bullpen have struggled in recent years, especially after the move to hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. The A’s have one more season in Sacramento before heading to Las Vegas.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
Gn sports
