The Los Angeles Dodgers have established a robust front office under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, and that’s been key in their ability to operate without a designated general manager since Farhan Zaidi left the organization for the San Francisco Giants in 2018.
Friedman initially left open the possibility of the Dodgers hiring a new GM to replace Zaidi. However, he then indicated the club would instead rely on the triumvirate of senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes, farm director Brandon Gomes and director of development and scouting Alex Slater.
Gomes has since been elevated to vice president and assistant general manager, and Slater is the Dodgers’ director of baseball operations. Meanwhile, the organization added Jeff Kingston as another vice president and assistant GM one month after Zaidi’s departure.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, Kingston is among the candidates the Philadelphia Phillies are considering for their general manager position:
Sources: #Dodgers assistant GM Jeff Kingston is a candidate for #Phillies GM position. Kingston was a finalist for the #Angels GM job earlier this offseason. Kingston has Pennsylvania ties, as a graduate of @DickinsonCol, about 130 miles west of Philadelphia. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 21, 2020
Matt Klentak stepped down from his role as Phillies GM in September and was re-assigned to another position within the organization. Ned Rice served as interim general manager to close out the regular season and during the time the team has searched for a full-time replacement.
It’s believed Rice is among the candidates the Phillies are considering, along with various executives from the New York Yankees front office.
Prior to joining the Dodgers, Kingston spent nine seasons in the Seattle Mariners front office, and before that served as the San Diego Padres director of baseball operations for seven years. He’s yet to hold the role of GM with any club.
Kingston was finalist for Angels position
This now marks a second time this offseason Kingston has been reported as being involved in a front office search. He reportedly was a finalist prior to the L.A. Angels hiring Perry Minasian as their new general manager.
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