Los Angeles Dodgers' head of player development DeJon Watson appears to be in a relatively strong position for the vacant general manager job of the Baltimore Orioles. On Tuesday, Toronto Blue Jays' assistant GM Tony LaCava was offered the Orioles' GM job but declined the offer. Roch Kubatko of MASN has more details:
Apparently, LaCava was ready to accept an offer from the Orioles until flying back into Baltimore yesterday for a second meeting. I'm told the issues that cropped up for LaCava didn't involve ownership or manager Buck Showalter. However, a deal couldn't be reached.
The Orioles have only interviewed four candidates. In addition to LaCava, Jerry Dipoto was hired by the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, leaving only Watson and Baltimore head of player development John Stockstill. Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com compares the two:
Watson, who met with the Orioles several times as well, according to Yahoo! Sports, remains in play, while Stockstill is seen as more of a wild card, particularly given the organization’s struggles in the scouting and player development area.
Kubatko also mentioned the Orioles could interview A.J. Preller, senior director of player development for the Texas Rangers.
Watson has been with the Dodgers for the past five seasons, including the last four as assistant GM and head of player development.
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