10 Candidates to Be the Next Chicago Cubs GM

Cubs Owner Tom Ricketts finally pulled the trigger on the long overdue firing of GM Jim Hendry, who was surprisingly 749-748 in his tenure as Cubs GM. But the larger question is, who will replace him?

While I don't have much confidence in Ricketts' ability to evaluate a suitable candidate, and would strongly prefer that he seek some help in making such a critical decision, I would certainly like to assist him in this process.

Therefore, I offer you, the Cubs fan, 10 candidates to be the next Cubs GM, along with some analysis of why (or why not) each man is worthy of this job.

Make no mistake—despite the Cubs' ineptitude over the past century or so—this is a fairly prestigious job. And, we do know some of Ricketts' criteria for the next GM: "a commitment to player development, a stronger analytical background, and someone who's been in a winning culture and has a track record of success."

With that in mind, here are 10 top candidates for the job. May the best man (or woman) win.

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Andrew Friedman

Andrew Friedman is the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Tampa Bay Rays. That is a pretty sweet job and I don't believe he will leave that behind to take the Cubs job if it is offered.

Still, he would be an outstanding choice. And maybe, just maybe, the man is tired of dealing with low payroll budgets and would like a shot with a team that is willing to spend money. Assuming that Ricketts is willing to spend.

Friedman is a free agent after this season.  He presides over one of the best farm systems in baseball.

Kim Ng

The Cubs were willing to hire a black manager (twice) and would become the first MLB organization to hire a woman as GM if they chose Kim Ng.

Ng, who is missing a vowel or two, currently works in the commissioner’s office and has worked in the Dodgers organization. As SI.com's Wil Carroll points out, "Some think that Ng gets interviews for jobs because she's one of few qualified women."

But Carroll goes on to write that she is just as qualified as other young GMs who got jobs, such as Jed Hoyer of the Padres.

But Ng lacks experience with scouting, so I don't think she will make the final cut for the Cubs.

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Rick Hahn

Hahn may be the odds-on favorite to land this job. Don't be fooled by his association with the South Side of town, this man grew up a Cubs fan.

He's a local guy, well spoken, young and seems to be impervious to the occasionally boneheaded decisions that Kenny Williams makes as GM.

Despite being his assistant, Hahn does not receive any blame for having one of the worst farm systems in baseball every year.

But if there is a concern for Ricketts, Hahn's lack of experience in developing a winning farm system may be it.

Ned Colletti

Stop. Just stop right there, Mr. Ricketts. If you hire this idiot, I am through with the Cubs. I mean it this time.

Colletti may be a nice guy and all that, just like Hendry is, but let's face it, he's not a good GM. He does not embrace current sabermetrics and seems like a real old-school kind of baseball guy, again very similar to Hendry.

So why does he make this list? Because he has ties to the organization, and has been rumored to be a contender.

Plus, Colletti, who has been the Dodgers GM since 2005, cannot be happy with the ownership situation in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are in bankruptcy and owner Frank McCourt may not be running the club much longer.

Colletti grew up in Chicago, and spent stints with the Cubs as a publicist and an assistant in the baseball operations department.

But just say no, Mr. Ricketts. Put down the contract offer and walk away slowly, please.

Ben Cherington

Hey, we have a winner! Cherington would be a great choice for the Cubs and he seems to meet the criteria set forth by Ricketts.

He comes from a winning organization in Boston, and the Cubs have long been enamored with the whole Red Sox aura and way of doing business.

He has been trained by the best GM n the business, Theo Epstein.

So who is this guy? Cherington is the VP of Player Personnel with the Red Sox and the Assistant GM. He has a scouting background, having started his career as an area scout in Boston.

Plus, he would certainly bring a different perspective than Hendry. Unlike the former Cubs GM, Cherington embraces statistical analysis. Plus, he is just 37 years old, so he should have plenty of energy and motivation.

Cherington once headed Boston's scouting efforts in Latin America, and we know the Cubs have been active in international scouting.  

Despite having a good thing in Boston, the lure of being a GM in a big market like Chicago, where the first GM to lead the team to the World Series will be a hero for life, is probably too great for Cherington to say no.

Ricketts, here is your guy. Go get him.

Tony LaCava

There have been no rumors of any ties to the Cubs search, and many of you probably don't know this name, but LaCava is a well-respected scouting executive with experience who is said to have a very outgoing personality. 

LaCava is the VP of Baseball Operations and Assistant GM with the Toronto Blue Jays. He spent 10 years as a scout for the Angels, so he has that background that Ricketts desires.

Yet despite all of his contacts within the game, and his reputation as a strong talent evaluator, LaCava has not been given a GM opportunity, though he has interviewed for them. At one time, he was considered a strong candidate for the Nationals job that eventually went to Mike Rizzo.

So, you have to wonder why. Still, he seems to have the right mix that Ricketts is looking for, so he should at least be considered.

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Josh Byrnes

Byrnes is different form the other names on this list because he has actual experience as a GM. Plus, he has been linked in rumors to Ricketts in the past.

Byrnes is a smart, savvy guy, but he has a poor track record with the Diamondbacks. Still, even some of the best GM's moves would look skewed if you were to go back and critique every one of them.

He decided to leave Dan Uggla unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, and his main trades included Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Quentin, Dan Haren and Jose Valverde.

Ironically, only the Cubs trades have fared worse over time, in terms of WAR value, than Byrnes' moves.

When Brynes obtained Haren from the A's, he sent along Brett Anderson, Carlos Gonzalez and Chris Carter, among others. If Anderson had remained healthy, this would have been worse for Byrnes.

It should say something to Ricketts that Byrnes was fired in Arizona with five years and nearly $6 million left on his contract after Diamondbacks teams went 349-378 under his leadership.

All in all, at least he has experience, something the others on this list lack. But personally, I don't want a retread.  

Jerry DiPoto

DiPoto is the Senior VP of Scouting and Player Development with the Diamondbacks. He has the background that Ricketts is looking for, as he oversees professional and amateur scouting.

This year, he added the responsibility for player development throughout the minor leagues after serving as interim General Manager for three months during the second half of the 2010 season.

DiPoto traded Dan Haren to the Angels, and while the trade looks better for the Angels right now, he did get a couple of prospects, so this is yet to be determined.

He has experience moving higher-priced vets for younger guys, such as moving Edwin Jackson to the White Sox for Daniel Hudson.

I don't know as much about him as I do Cherington, but on the surface, he seems like a solid candidate.

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Logan White

Logan White is in charge of Amateur and International Scouting and is the Assistant GM of the Dodgers. With all the troubles the Dodgers have had with ownership, I'm sure that most anyone in that front office would jump at a chance to leave that sinking ship.

White has the background that Ricketts wants, but is he associated with winning? Right now, the Dodgers are bad and that could hurt his chances, as one of the criteria is to come from a winning organization.

But no one doubts that the Dodgers are considered a winner over the long run, even though they are going through a rough time now.

White’s been with the Dodgers for nine years. Personnel that he's been directly involved with include Chad Billingsley, Jonathon Broxton, James Loney, Matt Kemp, Clayon Kershaw, Blake DeWitt and Russell Martin.

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Damon Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer, the Yankees Scouting Director, has been a candidate for other GM jobs and his work in New York makes him high profile, so I'm sure that Ricketts will be aware of him, if he is not already.

With current GM Brian Cashman's contract running out, he could become a candidate for that job if Cashman isn't retained.

If Cashman leaves, I don't think he will come to the Cubs. But if Cashman returns to the Yanks, Oppenheimer will likely get a look from the Cubs.

The Yankees denied Arizona permission to interview him for their job, and that could happen again with Cashman's status uncertain.

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