Hell Yes!!!!

[EagleEye_0]

Paul DePodesta has been hired as the new Dodgers general manager!!!!


LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers hired Oakland Athletics executive Paul DePodesta on Monday as the team's new general manager.

DePodesta, 31, has been a top assistant to Oakland general manager Billy Beane since joining the A's in1998.

DePodesta was hired three days after Boston real estate developer Frank McCourt's bought the Dodgers from News Corp for $430 million.

Team officials were not immediately available for further comment.

The Dodgers' front-office job had been held by Dan Evans, who was in the final season of a three-year contract. Evans interviewed for the job along with other candidates, including Philadelphia Phillies assistant GM Ruben Amaro.

The move came as pitchers and catchers prepared to report Wednesday for spring training at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., with the first workout scheduled Thursday.

DePodesta is considered one of baseball's top young executives and had been expected to take over as A's GM in November 2002, when Beane agreed to become GM of the Boston Red Sox. But Beane changed his mind and stayed in Oakland.

DePodesta has an economics degree from Harvard. He becomes the second-youngest general manager in baseball, behind Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, who was 28 when he took the job in 2002.

He takes over a Dodgers team that had the best pitching staff and worst offense in baseball last season.

Los Angeles finished second in the NL West, 15½ games behind the San Francisco Giants, and have not won a postseason game since beating Oakland in the 1988 World Series.

The status of several other Dodgers executives was still unresolved, including team president Bob Graziano. Manager Jim Tracy, who has one year left on his contract, will be back, the team said last week.

Bob Daly, the team's managing partner and chief executive officer since November 1999, left shortly before the sale was approved by major league baseball owners.

[sixto]

holy crap. congrats dodger fans.

[Crapshoot]

Damn you all!

[dougaiton]

Mmm... Good job. Let's see Beane's strategies with a big payroll...

[EagleEye_0]

This is the most excited I've been as a Dodgers fan in a long time.

It might be too late to do a whole with the team this season however, I'll hope for as few spring training moves.

[LiftTheCurse]

Now all they need to get is a power hitter....and they'll be right back in the thick of things

[LivnLegend]

On one hand I think it is a great move for the Dodgers; probably the first “right: thing they have done in quite awhile.

Before I get too excited, let me mention my worries. I have been on record here as stating Dan Evans has GOT to go but the Dodgers farm system has improved under his and Logan White’s watch. My fear is that DePodesta fires White and replaces him with a stathead to continue the Moneyball philosophy of drafting lower tiered college players who will progress to the majors quickly while staying away from high school prospects (mainly pitchers) who command a huge signing bonus and are years away from producing at the major league level.
I can see this happening, as well as trading top prospects Greg Miller and Edwin Jackson, again, with the Bean philosophy stating that high school pitchers hardly ever make it. Hopefully someone sits DePodesta down with a tape of the game where 20 year old Jackson beat Randy Johnson. I don’t remember the Athletics trading an elite prospect so I could be off on this but DePodesta is going to HAVE to address the shortcomings of Evans and acquire a right-handed power hitter.

My hope is that DePodesta recognizes that the Dodgers do not have to be run the same way as the Athletics regarding the draft in leaning toward “signable” players rather than the best player available. Of course he is going to need Frank McCourt to demonstrate this to him by not running the team like a small market franchise! McCourt promised the fans he would acquire a hitter before the season started. I don’t see this being possible without dealing Miller or Frankie Guiterrez or Jackson.


My guesses (not quite Legend Locks but close!):
Beltre will be traded before 2004 is over

Either Jackson or Miller goes before the start of the season – likely Miller

Bean and the Dodgers make at least 1 trade prior to the end of spring training.


PS: This is a crappy thread title. I am guessing someone (Karros270?) starts another DePodesta thread after not recognizing one is already started

[Crapshoot]

Damn you Dodgers! Damn you all! I need a drink. Why oh why wasn't Syd Thrift considered ?

[congobeast]

Sweet mother of all that is good and holy!

Ya know, I started off the day more than a little tweaked that the A-Rod deal basically killed the chances of Big Blue dumping our miserable excuse for a 3b in exchange for somebody that can hit the year around (rumors of a minors pitcher trade not withstanding).

Now this.

Suddenly my day is brighter. Birds are singing in the trees, the arctic cold seems a bit warmer.

There is hope in Dodgertown, for the first time since 1988. Probably not this year, but for the future.

Now, I believe I will go home, have a nice stiff shot of Glenlivit, and bask in the warm happiness of a GM not named Evans or Malone.

[CMH]

Congrats to the Dodgers.

Huge signing.

[LivnLegend]

Of course NOW would be a good time to fill that vacant hitting coach position.

[Carlton]

^
Why fill a position that has no one to teach?

<rimshot>

[EagleEye_0]

Originally posted by Carlton
^
Why fill a position that has no one to teach?

<rimshot>

Make the jokes while you still can

[billycola]

I'll save my excitement until we acrtually win something.

[sixto]

LL I don't see why they'd dump Jackson. He's a very exciting prospect.

[LivnLegend]

Originally posted by sixto
LL I don't see why they'd dump Jackson. He's a very exciting prospect.

Exciting?
Are you kidding me? I'm GMJO right now thinking about him in the starting rotation for years to come. I don't think the Dodgers will "dump" him by any stretch -- but any team the Dodgers talk trade with will demand Jackson or Miller in return for a proven slugger. I'm thinking the ChiSox with Ordonez or Frank Thomas available for example. And like I said above, I think LA would be more likely to move Greg Miller over Jackson.

[GForce22]

Would you deal a hot young pitching prospect for Frank Thomas, though? Mags I could understand.

GH

[Karros270]

I say don't mortgage the farm for the future. The Dodgers are more than one hitter from competing. I hope they hang on to their prospects and make a play for some free agents next year. I'm willing to tough at this year as a fan for a bright future.

[BigJeromeAFRO]

Originally posted by Karros270
I say don't mortgage the farm for the future. The Dodgers are more than one hitter from competing. I hope they hang on to their prospects and make a play for some free agents next year. I'm willing to tough at this year as a fan for a bright future.

The Fans might as well be ok with the dodgers sucking for another year, atleast the Angels have some potential(for local fans anyways)

[LivnLegend]

Originally posted by Karros270
I say don't mortgage the farm for the future. The Dodgers are more than one hitter from competing. I hope they hang on to their prospects and make a play for some free agents next year. I'm willing to tough at this year as a fan for a bright future.

Karros, that's just it...Dodger fans in general have been irate over Dan Evans inability (whether handcuffed or not) to make any real improvements this winter to the league's WORST offensive club last year. Evans avowed over and over not to trade any of the club's top prospects (presumably Miller, Jackson, and Guiterrez) for a player with one year left before free agency (i.e. Magglio). If you are hoping the team holds onto the prospects, it makes it difficult to complain about lack of improvement to the lineup and the team's inevitable 3rd or 4th place finish (at best).