Phillies to name Matt Klentak general manager
Phillies president will reunite with Matt Klentak and hire him as his GM.
By
Matt Snyder
•
1 min read
Phillies club president Andy MacPhail will hire Matt Klentak as his general manager, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports (Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe had it first).
Klentak and MacPhail have a history, as Klentak was hired by MacPhail as an assistant GM with the Orioles back in 2008. Once MacPhail was removed from his post as Orioles boss and Klentak didn't get the GM job himself, he went across the country (in 2011) to work in the Angels' front office under then-GM Jerry Dipoto as an assistant general manager. Klentak has remained in that position since.
Klentak was interviewed for the Angels' GM position once Dipoto departed, but was passed over for Billy Eppler.
A Dartmouth product, Klentak graduated in 2002 with a degree in economics. He played baseball there, starting most of his career and serving as team captain as a senior. He initially worked in the Rockies' front office before joining MLB's Labor Relations Department and staying there until MacPhail brought him aboard.
Klentak's strength as an assistant GM was said to be in contracts -- notably arbitration cases -- and rules interpretations, but obviously his skill set goes much further than that.
The man in charge here is still MacPhail, as the Phillies are setting up a power structure that is becoming more in vogue in baseball -- the general manager being the right-hand man to the club president.
Heyman first reported the Phillies strong interest in Klentak several weeks ago.
