GM Rankings

Last Update: 12/1/2010

1. Andrew Friedman, TB – hard to argue with a small payroll, tons of wins, and a great farm system. His final test will be how he handles the inevitable loss of Carl Crawford, and eventually Shields and/or Garza.

2. Brian Cashman, NYY – might have the biggest budget, but goes to the playoffs every year and rebuilt the farm. Expect another aggressive offseason as the Yankees go for a 28th title.

3. Jon Daniels, TEX – since giving Adrian Gonzalez away half a decade ago, he’s primed his team for years to come with slick trades over the last few seasons.

4. Theo Epstein, BOS – fired a few miscues last offseason, but his club doesn’t miss October too often. The Rays’ offseason losses should open up Boston’s chances for October baseball again.

5. Billy Beane, OAK – has not gotten the A’s into the postseason since ’06, but the wheels are in motion. He always has a new trick up his sleeve.

6. Kevin Towers, ARI – did a great job for the Padres, should get the Snakes back in the playoff hunt quickly.

7. Sandy Alderson, NYM - laid the groundwork for the great A’s teams before Beane took over, and a pioneer of statistical analysis who will help the Mets.

8. Dave Dombrowski, DET – perhaps the most aggressive GM in the game, he turned baseball’s worst franchise into a perennial contender.

9. Walt Jocketty, CIN – built the Cardinals teams during the McGwire era and got the Reds back to the playoffs for what looks like the first of many berths.

10. Tony Reagins, LAA – he got Dan Haren for pennies on the dollar and has primed the Angels for a resurgence to the top of the AL West.

11. Doug Melvin, MIL – the Brewers haven’t been the same since Sabathia left, but they quietly have one of the best attendance records and should compete. His rank could change quite a bit depending on what happens with Prince Fielder.

12. Kenny Williams, CHW – he’s as perplexing as Dombrowski is aggressive, but manages to find pieces when he needs them, sometimes overpaying (Peavy).

13. Alex Anthopolous, TOR – reaping the benefits of the Riccardi draft picks, but has made some nice moves (Bautista) and got a solid haul for Halladay.

14. Frank Wren, ATL – many of his trades (Teixeira, McLouth) have been mediocre, but the farm has prospered while the Braves have begun to win again, and he got Uggla for scrap.

15. Mark Shapiro/Chris Antonetti, CLE – the former has stepped down in favor of the latter, but the club is fading fast and may get turned over yet again. The club needs to hold on to Shin-Soo Choo and find some young pitching.

16. Brian Sabean, SF – say what you want about him, but the Giants know how to draft pitching, as evidenced by their World Series title. Knows how to pick winners off the waiver wire better than anyone, apparently.

17. Ed Wade, HOU – often criticized, but ownership won’t let him rebuild, so he does his best to put out a winner each year. The Brett Wallace trade looks good so far, and the pitching staff is quietly good, even with Oswalt gone.

18. Ruben Amaro, PHI – why he traded Cliff Lee we will never understand, but at least he got Halladay and has kept a winner on the field.

19. Dan O’Dowd, COL – getting Carlos Gonzalez looks ingenious right now, and the pitching was surprisingly good, even outside of Jiminez, but he gives extensions without much restraint (Corpas). He needs to find another bat with Hawpe gone and Helton fading, and the rotation is no sure thing, either.

20. Jed Hoyer, SD – the team that won 90 games last year was largely Kevin Towers’ doing, but Hoyer got a nice return for Peavy and has almost no payroll.

21. John Mozeliak, STL – committed a lot of money to solid but hardly great players (Holliday), forgetting that Pujols is a free agent after 2011.

22. Mike Rizzo, WAS – it’s not like drafting Strasburg was a tough choice at #1 overall, but he extended Zimmerman and has tried to build a winner.

23. Larry Beinfest, FLA – seems to dump expensive players for nothing, but remember that the ownership runs a tight ship, and he barely has a payroll.

24. Jack Zduriencik, SEA – the defense-first approach failed in his first year, but the M’s were much worse than anyone predicted; Jack Z should move up the list before long.

25. Jim Hendry, CHC – with a payroll like Chicago’s, you’d think the team would be loaded with stars; think again.

26. Bill Smith, MIN – the team has been good ever since he’s been in charge, but getting nothing for Santana was just terrible for the organization.

27. Andy McPhail - has made a couple of nice trades (i.e. Luke Scott) but the Orioles are still a few years away.

28. Neal Huntington, PIT – we know the team he inherited was bad, but there’s not a lot on the farm, either.

29. Ned Colletti, LAD – should be on his way out if the Dodgers miss the playoffs again.

30. Dayton Moore, KC – trading DeJesus for peanuts was just his latest head-scratcher, but at least the minors are brimming with talent.