The Los Angeles Angels plan to interview a bevy of top candidates for their vacant general manager job to replace Tony Reagins, who resigned on September 30. The Angels have been linked to Kim Ng, Rick Hahn, Jerry Dipoto, Billy Eppler, Damon Oppenheimer, and possibly Thad Levine. Might they also be interested in Andrew Friedman of the Tampa Bay Rays?
From the fine folks at DRaysBay:
On Tuesday night, one of our readers was at a restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg when he saw Andrew Friedman dining with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim team owner Arte Moreno and another individual he later identified as team president John Carpino. This individual lives locally so Friedman is no strange face to him, and he immediately recognized Moreno when walking by their table. Both he and the friend he was dining with feel extremely confident in what they saw, and confirmed after another walk-by and an internet search that the third person at the table was team president John Carpino.
Friedman is one of the most coveted front office members in baseball. He has been Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Rays since November 2005, and has been at the helm of an organization that has had two division titles and three playoff appearances in the last four years, all despite a payroll that has averaged just $55.5 million during that span. In 2008, Friedman at age 31 was the youngest-ever winner of the Sporting News Executive of the Year award.
Whether the Angels are able to land Friedman or not, it seems clear that Moreno is leaving no stone unturned in the search for his next general manager.
For more on Angels baseball, head to Halos Heaven.