Taylor Smith has moved to the front of the pack for the Athletics’ open general manager job.
The A’s have been searching for a new front office leader since they parted ways with longtime GM David Forst on Aug. 7, and while they’ve talked to multiple candidates, Red Sox senior vice president and assistant general manager Taylor Smith appears to be the name they’re focused on, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Smith interviewed with the club nearly a month ago. Before arriving in Boston, he got his start in 2018 as an analyst in the Rays’ research and development department, then worked his way up to director of predictive modeling before the Red Sox brought him over from a division rival two years ago. He’s now one of four assistant general managers under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, alongside Raquel Ferreira, Eddie Romero and Michael Groopman.
The A’s did speak with Groopman about the job, but Smith seems to have the edge. Last week, Smith and Cardinals assistant GM Rob Cerfolio were identified as the finalists, though Cerfolio is expected to remain in St. Louis.
Sam Fuld was the Athletics’ preferred choice for the top baseball operations job, but the Phillies president of business operations and former A’s outfielder turned them down last week. Since then, the team has kept moving through its list. Other known candidates include A’s assistant GM Billy Owens, former Astros GM James Click, ex-Nationals president of baseball ops Mike Rizzo, Cubs AGM Jared Banner and Brewers AGM Matt Kleine.
Dan Feinstein, another A’s assistant GM, took over on an interim basis after Forst’s departure, but he is not being considered for the permanent role.
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