MLB Trade Deadline: Ranking All MLB GMs' Recent Track Records

With the All-Star break just around the corner, front offices are buzzing as some teams determine what deadline deals can be made to get their teams over the hump and into the postseason.

Other front offices are preparing to throw in the proverbial towel and unload veterans in hopes of bringing in valuable assets that will help their team in the long run.

Either way, the end of July always promises to provide compelling storylines as we see teams reshaping themselves on the fly.

Many GMs are well versed with this procedure and have honed in on just how the job needs to be done. Others have shared less success on the job, and a few are so new on the job they have yet to truly be tested.

30. Houston Astros: Ed Wade

It’s looking like GM Ed Wade made the right move in sending Roy Oswalt off to Philadelphia last season, but the issue still remains that the Astros are too old of a team for their own good.

The Astros also boast a below average farm system, leading many to believe that it could take some time before the team finds it’s way out of the basement of the NL Central.

29. Los Angeles Dodgers: Ned Colletti

The Dodgers are certainly in a less than desirable situation given the McCourt divorce debacle that has overshadowed the team for the better part of the past two seasons.

That said, Colletti has done about as good of a job as possible in putting a formidable team on the field and depending on how the off the field situation plays out could be making moves to improve the team at some point in the near future.

28. New York Mets: Sandy Alderson

Sandy Alderson certainly hasn't been put in the greatest position to succeed at this point given the situation that the New York Mets find themselves in financially, but big name (and big money) acquisitions showing former GM Omar Minaya made paint a picture of what not to do.

How he handles the decision on whether or not to retain Jose Reyes and who the team gets in return should give a glimpse in the direction that the team is heading under the reins of Alderson.

27. San Francisco Giants: Brian Sabean

Based in part on the handling of the Barry Bonds contract situation, Brian Sabean’s name was dragged down by critics.

It didn't help that he sent Francisco Liriano, Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser packing for Minnesota in exchange for A.J. Pierzynski in 2003.

At the same time, many great players have come into play under his watch. With the 2010 World Series championship under his belt thanks in great part to some developed talent Sabean is looking much better in the eyes of fans than he did just a few seasons ago.

26. Washington Nationals: Mike Rizzo

Rizzo has made good moves with regards to the farm system, and when both Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper are on the field together they should make waves.

It’s still puzzling though that the team opted to give Jayson Werth a contract with such magnitude.

Given the perceived stranglehold that it could put on the team’s finances for a few years, it seems hard to call that acquisition a win, but on the other hand that just gives Werth time to prove us all wrong.

25. Chicago Cubs: Jim Hendry

Hendry has made some bad moves for the Cubs in recent years bringing in players that prove to make little impact at a high price tag.

Alfonso Soriano's contract has been a hindrance on the franchise, and they'll no doubt be in a better position when they can take it off the books.

He could definitely redeem himself in the eyes of Cubs fans this offseason if he’s somehow able to pry Albert Pujols away from the Cardinals.

24. Minnesota Twins: Bill Smith

During the early part of his time as the Twins’ GM he attempted to make a splash with the trading of Johan Santana, Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza for some young talent with a high ceiling.

Things didn’t pan out too well for the team as no parts of the Johan Santana deal are in the system and Delmon Young has failed to live up to expectations.

Add to that the acquisition of Matt Capps in exchange for highly touted catching prospect Wilson Ramos last season, and Smith definitely isn’t looking like he’ll contend for MLB Executive of the year any time soon.

23. Kansas City Royals: Dayton Moore

With the talent pool increased in Kansas City after shipping ace Zack Greinke to Milwaukee in exchange for a number of young players, things appear to be on the cusp of looking up in Kansas City.

GM Dayton Moore has a great deal of talent in the pipeline and depending on his ability to utilize the moderately low salary cap he has to work with he should be able to create at least a somewhat competitive team in the average at best American League Central.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates: Neal Huntington

The organization has been under fire for their recent history of futility, and while not all of the blame could be placed on Neal Huntington, his quickness to deal valuable, well established players certainly didn’t win over many fans.

With the moderate amount of success that the team has enjoyed thus far this season, there appears to be hope for the future in Pittsburgh.

21. San Diego Padres: Jed Hoyer

Seeing the success that the Red Sox are enjoying with the surging Adrian Gonzalez, Jed Hoyer has to wonder if the Padres should have worked harder to lock him up for the longterm.

The Padres do find themselves in an unenviable position of having a tight budget to work with along with an underperforming team. As it appears that Heath Bell will certainly be dealt before the trade deadline, all eyes will be on Hoyer as he works to get the best possible talent in return.

20. Cleveland Indians: Chris Antonetti

Chris Antonetti has to be enjoying his first season as the Cleveland Indians GM.

After many seasons of sell-offs for the Indians, Antonetti has immediately been thrust into a position where the team may actually be improving their roster to fight teams like Detroit and Chicago for a division title.

19. Toronto Blue Jays: Alex Anthopoulos

Anthopolous is in a very tough position. With top talent in the American League East, he finds himself needing to stretch every dollar he can to ensure that the Blue Jays remain competitve and hopeful of postseason play.

With teams like the Yankees and Red Sox in the division you'd have to think that a 90-win season may not even be enough to get into October, so one wrong move can really be a set back.

That said the Blue Jays have put some great pieces into place and with the help of Jose Bautista have been playing beyond the expectations of many.

18. St. Louis Cardinals: John Mozeliak

Cards’ GM John Mozeliak certainly took a risk in tying down a great deal of money to Matt Holiday in order to keep him in St. Louis.

Holliday's $120 million contract seemed high at the time and depending on continuing returns, may end up hurting the franchise in the long run.

However, be it for better or for worse, the attention has been pulled away from Holliday as Mozeliak ponders the best way to handle the contract situation surrounding Albert Pujols.

17. Arizona Diamondbacks: Kevin Towers

The Arizona Diamondbacks may have fallen back to the pack since their days of National League dominance, but there’s still reason to believe that the team will once again contend.

GM Kevin Towers steps into an unenviable situation as he looks to develop existing talent and with time and proper execution hope that the youthful energy of the franchise will equate to wins.

16. Los Angeles Angels: Tony Reagins

Reagins has made a number of good moves during his time with the Angels.

With frugal acquisitions of some veteran players and a bolstered farm system the team is in position to compete in the American League West after a 2010 hiatus from postseason play.

15. Atlanta Braves: Frank Wren

Wren has done a good job at bringing in young talent while giving up relatively little in return. Jair Jurrjens was a steal for the team that could end up paying off in due time.

Dan Uggla hasn’t made the splash expected when he signed with the team, but he’s still got an immense amount of talent to his name.

Along with players like Jayson Heyward, Uggla and Co. are giving glimpses of the potential this team has, and all indications are in time, they’ll be a serious contender.

14. Oakland Athletics: Billy Beane

Billy Beane is one of the most notable GMs in baseball. And while his ability to make effective moves to better the franchise has at times panned out, they still find themselves failing to win ballgames consistently.

In a division that lacks a dominating front runner, Beane could certainly put his talents to work in acquiring talent to improve the prospects of the team for future seasons.

13. Chicago White Sox: Kenny Williams

Things haven’t gone as planned for Kenny Williams and the Chicago White Sox in recent seasons.

Despite putting a relatively rich payroll on the field season after season the team has found themselves looking up in the standings at the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers at times.

Williams does certainly have a keen eye when it comes to identifying talent that has a potential to help the franchise (be it immediate or multiple years down the road).

The acquisitions of Adam Dunn and Jake Peavy however haven’t exactly panned out and the team now finds themselves dedicating a large sum of the team’s payroll to two of the most underperforming players on the roster.

12. Cincinnati Reds: Walt Jocketty

With the emergence of the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central in recent seasons, you’d have to give some of the credit to GM Walt Jocketty for working with ownership to put the best product on the field.

The Reds did make a quick exit from postseason play last fall but appear to be in contention for another run as Jocketty ponders potential deadline deals that could help his franchise reach the next level.

11. Baltimore Orioles: Andy MacPhail

If you solely take into account the number of wins that the team puts in the standings on a yearly basis, it would be easy to discount GM Andy MacPhail when giving credit to the Orioles organization.

But when you look at what he’s doing, it’s clear that the team is headed in the right direction.

MacPhail is one of the most well respected executives in baseball, and the former Twins and Cubs GM appears to be on the way toward leading another MLB franchise in the right direction.

10. Detroit Tigers: Dave Dombrowski

Dave Dombrowski doesn’t appear to be the most effective GM in the game when you think of players that he’s let go such as Curtis Granderson.

And sure, a number of bad contracts have been handed out to Tigers players in recent years (Gary Sheffield and Dontrelle Willis).

But the Tigers are a perennial contender in the AL Central year after year and don’t appear to be heading anywhere but up with the current talent pool. Dombrowski's ability to scout talent has the team set up for sucess in the long run

9. Florida Marlins: Michael Hill/Larry Beinfest

The Florida Marlins front office has done an admirable job in bringing in the talent needed to build a competitive ballclub.

Bringing in stars like Hanley Ramirez via trade and Dan Uggla (since departed) went a long way to shore up a team that had fallen from prominence after winning a World Series in 2003.

8. Colorado Rockies: Daniel O'Dowd

Much like any other long-tenured GM in baseball, Dan O'Dowd has had his share of both successes and failures while on the job. He's given out contracts to pitchers that underperformed on the job but has retained some elements of talent that keep the level of competitiveness.

Just a couple of seasons ago O'Dowd was honored as the top front office executive in baseball, so he must be doing something right.

7. Texas Rangers: Jon Daniels

Perhaps Jon Daniels’ biggest accomplishment with the Rangers has been his ability to field such an elite ballclub with a modest payroll.

It’s been seen time after time that while money doesn’t buy championships, it sure helps.

The Rangers have managed to keep their payroll in check as they work within their means and utilize their deep farm system to churn out productivity and create helpful trades when necessary.

6. Philadelphia Phillies: Ruben Amaro Jr.

It’s hard to argue with his record of success. Amaro put together a devastating starting rotation for the Phillies and has maneuvered multiple trades that have benefited the team greatly.

Things aren’t looking so good for Oswalt right now which may blemish Amaro’s record, but all in all, there’s little doubt that the move was the right one to make at the time.

5. Milwaukee Brewers: Doug Melvin

You have to give Doug Melvin a lot of credit for the majority of the decisions that have been made for the Milwaukee Brewers in recent seasons.

After going a number of years without putting an appealing product on the field, the team has since found themselves back in postseason play, and this year has a strong All-Star contingent heading to Arizona.

Perhaps his biggest test yet will come this offseason when he contemplates what to do about soon to be free agent Prince Fielder.

4. Tampa Bay Rays: Andrew Friedman

Considering the fact that the Tampa Bay Rays have a fan base that fails to show up on a regular basis and a payroll that pales in comparison to that of it’s American League East counterparts, it’d be hard to fault GM Andrew Friedman if he wasn’t able to put the most competitive team on the field.

In spite of it all though, he’s made a number of savvy decisions during his tenure, and aside from the failed Manny Ramirez experiment this spring his track record is better than many in the game today.

3. Seattle Mariners: Jack Zduriencik

While some recent acquisitions haven’t panned out like expected (Chone Figgins), the team still believes that Jack Zduriencik is the right guy for the job as he has a track record of success, namely in identifying young talent at the high-school or collegiate levels.

Part of his judgement will likely come in how he handles the status of King Felix as he nears free agency and how he works to bolster an offense that lacks much of a punch.

2. New York Yankees: Brian Cashman

It’s easy to rate Yankees GM Brian Cashman so highly simply because he’s working with such a massive budget. But the success that Cashman and the Yankees have enjoyed goes much deeper, as Cashman’s decisions have been very effective (Sabathia, Texiera).

Cashman has also worked with scouts in the organization to develop a farm system that is much improved over past years in which the team had few pieces of true trade bait in the event of a deadline deal.

1. Boston Red Sox: Theo Epstein

One of the great young GMs in the game, Epstein has made a number of impressive moves during his tenure with the Red Sox.

With the stacks of money spent this past offseason on acquiring Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, Epstein is looking once again like he made the right move as the Sox are poised to return to the postseason this fall.