The Los Angeles Dodgers are bolstering their front office at the expense of the Tampa Bay Rays, as the two-time defending National League West champions have hired former Rays general manager Andrew Friedman to be their president of baseball operations.
The team confirmed the move Tuesday, adding that current Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti will remain in a senior role:
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported the news.
According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Friedman's pact with the Dodgers means Rays president Matt Silverman will take lead baseball operations:
Per Shi Davidi of SportsNet Canada, the Rays will make Brian Auld their new team president to take the spot vacated by Silverman's promotion:
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times notes that Friedman has been on the Dodgers' radar for some time now:
ESPN's Buster Olney talks about what Friedman's first move in charge should be:
Friedman has been an instrumental part of building Tampa Bay into a perennial playoff contender since becoming general manager after the 2005 MLB season. The Rays made the postseason four times during his tenure, including going to the World Series in 2008, despite being hampered by payroll restrictions. Their 2014 payroll of just under $77 million, per Cot's Baseball Contracts, was among the lowest in baseball.
Now, Friedman will be leading a front office that spent $229 million to field a 2014 team that lost to St. Louis in the National League Division Series.
The transition won't be as drastic for the Rays. Even though they are losing one of the best business minds in baseball, Silverman has been team president for eight years and worked with Friedman to build those postseason teams.
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