Wren is a leading candidate for Red Sox job after Dombrowski hiring
Frank Wren, the former Orioles and Braves GM, looks like the most logical candidate in Boston to replace Ben Cherington.
By
Jon Heyman
•
2 min read
Former Braves and Orioles general manager Frank Wren is a leading candidate for the Red Sox GM job following the surprise hiring of Dave Dombrowski in Boston to head their baseball operations.
Wren and Dombrowski teamed with Dombrowski with the Marlins in the 1990s, and people familiar with the situation suggest they believe Wren is a likely replacement for Ben Cherington, who stepped down when Dombrowski was hired. If Wren isn't hired as GM, folks still see Dombrowski giving him some top job in Boston's hierarchy.
Dombrowski, released from his Tigers contract in another surprise move, said he hasn’t talked to anyone beyond Cherington about the GM job. But people close to Dombrowski say they expect him to name Wren, who worked under him from 1991-98 in Miami.
Sources say Dombrowski and Wren met in St. Petersburg, Fla., Wren's hometown, in late July when the Tigers were playing the Rays. At the time Dombrowski was still with the Tigers and the meeting was seen as a chance for Dombrowski to counsel Wren, who had been out of work since being dismissed by the Braves late in the 2014 season.
Many of Dombrowski's other key people -- including longtime lieutenants Al Avila and John Westhoff -- were promoted in Detroit following Dombrowski's departure. Avila, his right-hand man, was named GM and given a five-year deal.
Dombrowski and Wren are seen as extremely close and of like philosophy. Both are viewed as old school and willing to trade prospects for major leaguers. This looks like a change in thinking in Boston, which has won titles with an emphasis on analytics and shown reluctance to trade its better prospects in recent years.
Major League Baseball necessitates an interview process, however, in cases of executive jobs like this one.
The Red Sox's big move came as a surprise around baseball, and even to folks in their offices, as the suggestion of higher-ups was that Cherington was "safe" following two rough seasons. That may have changed with the surprise availability of Dombrowski, who has one of the best reps as a baseball executive and a long track record of success.
Cherington, who has at least a year or two to go on his contract, according to sources, has agreed to remain through the transition. Cherington figures to have little trouble finding another job, and he's known to be especially close to his former boss Theo Epstein, Pirates GM Neal Huntington, and others.
Cherington's decision to step down is no surprise because it's clear who’s running the show. Dombrowski will have full authority over baseball decisions, and even at 59 is very hands-on, and has been throughout his career.
Dombrowski and Wren won a World Series in Miami in 1997 and then were entrusted to run one of baseball's all-time great fire sales following the title. Wren left to become Baltimore's GM following the 1998 season.
After Baltimore, Wren worked under the great John Schuerholz in Atlanta and was elevated to GM in late 2007. He spent seven years as their GM with decent success most of that time, though things soured in the final year. Wren still won way many more games than he lost in Atlanta; his undoing there was more related to interpersonal relationships, notably a fraying with Schuerholz, who hired him.
