The GM Meetings have officially come and gone, which means Hot Stove season can well and truly begin. We heard from execs from all 30 MLB teams over the last few days in Las Vegas, all of whom are hoping they can make some big moves that will vault their clubs closer to contention next season. (Or, in the case of the Colorado Rockies, closer to 60 wins.)
But while hope springs eternal this time of year, which GMs deserve to be believed and which have something to prove? To answer that question, we put together a handy confidence meter based on each lead exec's overall record at the helm of their current team. Where does your team's front office rank, and how does that line up with how you're feeling? Read on to find out.
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The MLB GM confidence meter
The Glassdoor GMs: Getz leads the pack
30. Chris Getz, Chicago White Sox (101-223, .318)
29. David Forst, Athletics (195-291, .401)
28. Ben Cherington, Pittsburgh Pirates (365-505, .420)
27. Peter Bendix, Miami Marlins (141-183, .435)
26. Perry Minasian, Los Angeles Angels (358-452, .442)
Some of these are a bit unfair. Forst and Bendix oversaw encouraging steps forward in years three and two, respectively, at the helm of the A's and the Marlins (and it goes without saying that both of them are operating at a significant financial disadvantage). Getz, too, probably deserves some benefit of the doubt, considering how dire the situation was in Chicago when he took over and how dysfunctional this organization has been under Jerry Reinsdorf's ownership.
Cherington and Minasian, on the other hand ... well, it's harder to make the case. Cherington at least has Bob Nutting as an excuse, though it bears noting that some of his moves that had nothing to do with money haven't exactly inspired confidence. And while Minasian has to deal with Arte Moreno's impatience, the Angels' truly awful track record with drafting and development speaks for itself.
Contenders gone wrong: Preller and presidents
25. J.J. Picollo, Kansas City Royals (224-262, .461)
24. Chris Young, Texas Rangers (377-433, .465)
23. Mike Elias, Baltimore Orioles (481-551, .466)
22. Paul Toboni, Washington Nationals (0-0)
21. AJ Preller, San Diego Padres (819-861, .488)
It speaks to the state of MLB front offices that we already arrive at guys you can at least make an argument for. The ire around Elias of late obscures just how miserable the O's were when he arrived, and how much he's raised the overall talent level. Young inherited a wasteland from Jon Daniels and guided Texas to its first-ever World Series title. Preller's overall record is weighed down by the start of his tenure in San Diego, and his go-for-broke roster-building style certainly comes at a cost, but it's inarguable that he's injected life into what was a moribund baseball town just a few years ago.
We're slotting Toboni in with this group, partly because we're not sure where else to put him. He'll have his work cut out for him in trying to rebuild the Nationals, and we don't know how he'll handle the top job until we see him do it. Then again, he comes highly regarded based on his talent evaluation work in Boston, and that counts for something.
The retool architects: Chaim Bloom is building
20. Mike Hazen, Arizona Diamondbacks (664-692, .490)
19. Nick Krall, Cincinnati Reds (160-164, .494)
18. Chaim Bloom, St. Louis Cardinals (272-274, .498)
17. Jed Hoyer, Chicago Cubs (403-407, .498)
16. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants (81-81, .500)
Ah, we're finally at .500! Posey is by far the newbie in this group, but while the jury is still out on the sustainability of his success, it's fun to see San Francisco revitalized after years of fiddling on the margins under Farhan Zaidi. It's oddly fitting to see Bloom and Hoyer slotted right next to each other in these rankings, not just because of the obvious Cubs-Cardinals rivalry (and because both men once sat at the right hand of Theo Epstein) but because they've each developed a reputation for not being quite as aggressive as they should've been at times.
Speaking of not quite as aggressive as they should've been: Cincinnati likely won't love this ranking of Krall, but he's also had to build rosters on a shoestring budget and has the arrow pointing up for the Reds. You could do a lot worse.
Pedestrian presidents of baseball operations: Ross Atkins at work
15. Paul DePodesta, Colorado Rockies (164-160, .506)
14. Derek Falvey, Minnesota Twins (690-666, .509)
13. Ross Atkins, Toronto Blue Jays (777-741, .512)
12. Scott Harris, Detroit Tigers (251-235, .516)
11. Jerry Dipoto, Seattle Mariners (770-714, .519)
Technically, we have to put DePodesta here based on his two years as GM of the Dodgers way back in 2004-05. If this were strictly a forward-facing exercise, though, it would be hard to have him anywhere but No. 30: It's been a long, long time since he was conversant with MLB front offices, and it's not exactly like his work with the Browns in the interim should inspire faith that he's still ahead of the curve.
The Tarik Skubal of it all risks masking what a nice job Harris has done so far in Detroit; the Tigers were dead in the water thanks to the end of Al Avila's tenure, and now they look built for the long haul whether Skubal stays or goes. (Though it would really, really help if he stays.) Atkins and Dipoto have both overhauled their reputations in a major way over the last few months, and suddenly their resumes start to look pretty impressive.
Contenders get candid: Dave Dombrowski's last dance
10. Craig Breslow, Boston Red Sox (170-154, .525)
9. David Stearns, New York Mets (172-152, .530)
8. Dana Brown, Houston Astros (265-220, .546)
7. Erik Neander, Tampa Bay Rays (748-608, .552)
6. Dave Dombrowski, Philadelphia Phillies (450-360, .556)
Stearns would get a serious bump if we included his work in Milwaukee, but the jury's still out in New York. Dombrowski and Brown probably don't have too many fans in their respective cities based on recent trendlines, and both could suddenly find themselves in hot water if they don't deliver this offseason. Of course, the leader of the Red Sox is always one step away from the hot seat, and if Craig Breslow doesn't deliver an encore to last winter's Garrett Crochet trade, things could get dicey in Boston.
(Just as a side note: Most baseball fans might not even know Neander's name, but it's worth noting what a job he's done trying to keep the Rays above water despite bottom-of-the-barrel payrolls. The 2025 season was a stepback, but the overall track record speaks for itself.)
The best of boss status: Don't doubt the Dodgers
5. Chris Antonetti, Cleveland Guardians (843-673, .556)
4. Matt Arnold, Milwaukee Brewers (282-204, .580)
3. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees (2,594-1,838, .585)
2. Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta Braves (604-427, .586)
1. Andrew Friedman, Los Angeles Dodgers (1,036-645, .616)
Now we arrive at the heavy hitters ... well, plus Antonetti, who doesn't get the credit he probably deserves for how consistently he's won in Cleveland despite one of the cheapest ownership groups in the sport (or in any sport, really). Arnold has picked up right where Stearns left off when he left, and Anthopoulos, despite a down 2025 season, should have the Braves right back in contention next year.
I'm sure plenty of fans will roll their eyes and say that anyone could win big with the sorts of payrolls the Yankees and Dodgers have at their disposal. But baseball history tells us that isn't necessarily true: You still need to identify and develop talent or things can go very, very wrong. Friedman, in particular, continues to stock L.A. with young, cost-controlled players that the rest of the league covets, and it enables him to get the most out of free agency.