Ranking all 30 MLB teams’ front offices from worst to first

28. Pirates

General Manager: Ben Cherington

Cherington actually seems like a guy who wants to do a good job as general manager and there is some real talent in their farm system as a result. However, Pirates owner Bob Nutting is so cheap and so intent on milking every single cent out of the club without actually investing in the roster that it feels like that will override any progress Cherington makes and history proves that out.

The team will seemingly never be in play for any free agents outside of the bargain bin and as soon as players start playing well-enough to make anything resembling decent money in arbitration, the Pirates have to trade them away because ownership wants to line their pockets. After surprisingly extending Bryan Reynolds recently, Nutting did make comments that he is open to locking up this young core of players, but frankly we will believe it when we see it.

27. Reds

General Manager: Nick Krall

The Reds certainly belong near the bottom of these rankings if, for no other reason, being that their owner both has no interest in spending what is required to field a competitive team and has publicly stated that he knows that Reds fans have no other option other than to just deal with how he runs things. On top of that, the front office has failed to field a decent team in recent years despite multiple trades and drafts that SHOULD have helped more than they have.

That said, the minor league system has some real talent especially if Elly de la Cruz pans out, so not all is lost here. The Reds’ ownership situation just limits their upside so much and nothing indicates that the rest of the front office can compensate for that. In a good year, the Reds can be a .500 team and that says a lot.

26. Royals

General Manager: J.J. Picollo

The Royals were the poster children for stubbornly adhering to outdated thoughts on the game of baseball under Dayton Moore and it is decidedly unclear if things are going to improve under JJ Picollo. The payroll remains small, the team has made decidedly few moves to improve a roster that ranges from young to bad, and their recent drafts have been shallow in terms of talent with the exception of Bobby Witt Jr.

A cursory look at the Royals’ farm system sure doesn’t look like the farm system of a team that has picked in the top 10 the last four years and they have been particularly bad at getting talent out of international free agency which is not a way to run a franchise.

25. Tigers

General Manager: Scott Harris

Also residing near the bottom of our front office rankings are the Detroit Tigers. Tigers owner Mike Illitch famously spent a bunch of money and resources chasing a ring, but how things have been run under his son, Chris, after Illitch’s death back in 2017 has been a far cry from that. In fact, it seems more like the last thing that Chris wants to do is run a baseball team, but here we are.

There is some young talent on the roster and in the farm system thanks to Tigers’ draft position the last several years, but the team’s first crack at rebuilding stalled out and without some savvy moves and actual investment in the roster (which seems unlikely), the Tigers are going to struggle to realistically contend again.