Baltimore Sports and Life has profiled four options (Amiel Sawdaye, Josh Byrnes, Mike Elias, and Jason McLeod) as possible candidates to replace Orioles EVP of Baseball Operations / General Manager Dan Duquette.
However, MASN’s Roch Kubatko has reported the Orioles will be looking to hire both a President of Baseball Operations, and a EVP / GM.
My colleague Bob Harkins profiled Farhan Zaidi as a potential option at President.
Here we look at two other names we believe could be fits.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
Mike Chernoff:
The Cleveland Indians have lost their fair share of front-office personnel in recent years.
“You hate to lose talented personnel but it’s also flattering that other teams think so highly of the people who work in our front office and very gratifying to see them have the opportunity to advance their careers,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said earlier this season.
The Minnesota Twins hired assistant general manager Derek Falvey away from the Indians two years ago and installed him to the newly created title of chief baseball officer.
The next in line to leave Cleveland could be general manager Mike Chernoff. Many in baseball circles believe Chernoff is ready to move up a rung and would be a worthwhile candidate to fill the Baltimore Orioles’ vacancy of President of Baseball Operations.
“He’d be perfect in Baltimore,” an executive from another AL club said. “He’s worked for one of the best organizations in baseball. He works for a small-market franchise, so he knows how to be successful without having a big payroll.
“He’s very well-rounded. He’s been involved in every facet of the game in his career.”
Chernoff has spent his entire career in the Indians’ organization, beginning as an intern in baseball operations in 2003 and 2004. He then became assistant director of baseball operations in 2005 then was promoted to director of baseball operations two years later. He became assistant GM in 2011 then succeeded Antonetti, who was promoted to his current position in 2016.
The Indians have won the AL Central is each of Chernoff’s three seasons as GM and reached the World Series in 2016, losing to the Chicago Cubs in seven games.
Chernoff played collegiate at Princeton University from 2000-03, serving as team captain in his senior season before graduating with a degree in finance.
Chernoff’s father, Mark, is the vice president of programming for CBS Radio Sports in New York. To this day, Mark and Mike still find time once a month to play catch.
Doug Melvin:
Doug Melvin does not fit the current trend of top baseball executives.
He isn’t a young man. He did not go to an Ivy League school or other prestigious college He played the game at the professional level.
However, in the eyes of one baseball executive, that doesn’t preclude Melvin from being a good fit to be the Baltimore Orioles’ next President of Baseball Operations.
“I think he would be an inspired choice, albeit one that would be going against the grain,” the executive said. “Doug has plenty of experience running baseball operations departments and putting together rosters. He has the type of personality that allows him to relate well to other people. He has also proven he can turn organizations around and put winning teams on the field. I think the Orioles owe it to themselves to at least interview him.”
Melvin was the general manager of the Texas Rangers from 1995-2001 then served in the same capacity with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2003-15. Melvin has spent the last three years as a special adviser to Brewers GM David Stearns.
The Rangers qualified for the postseason for the first three times in their history during Melvin’s tenure. The Sporting News named him the Major League Baseball Executive of the Year in 1996.
Melvin then got the Brewers on track They ended a streak of 15 consecutive losing seasons in 2005 then made the postseason in 2008 for the first time in 1982.
In 2011, Milwaukee captured the National League Central title following an offseason in which Melvin traded for pitchers Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and center fielder Nyjer Morgan. Baseball America named Melvin its MLB Executive of the Year that season.
If the Orioles were to hire Melvin, it would be a homecoming of sorts for the 66-year-old. He served as their assistant general manager and player development director from 1987-94.
Melvin, a native of Chatham, Ontario, pitched in the minor leagues from 1972-73 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and 1975-78 with the New York Yankees. After topping out at Class AA as a player, Melvin became a Yankees’ scout and rose to the position of assistant scouting director before leaving for the Orioles.
A member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Melvin was also a consultant for the Boston Red Sox’s minor league operations in 2002.
John Perrotto has been a professional sports writer since 1982 and has covered a multitude of sports, including MLB, NFL and college football and basketball. He has been a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association since 1988, a Hall of Fame voter since 1997 and has covered 21 World Series and two Super Bowls. He is a graduate of Geneva College, the birthplace of college basketball, and lives in Beaver Falls, Pa., the hometown of Joe Willie Namath. He also writes The Perrotto Report (theperrottoreport.com), newsletters that concentrate on Major League Baseball and the Pittsburgh Pirates.