Cherington’s
reputation as an analytically inclined, evidence-based decision maker aligns
with Mark Shapiro’s overall vision.
The Blue
Jays can lay at least some of the blame for their current
predicament at the feet of Ben Cherington, the newest member of their expanded
front office.
Cherington, who was announced
Wednesday as the Jays’ vice-president of baseball operations, has only been
with the organization for a day, so he bears no responsibility for their recent
tailspin.
But as the former general manager
of the Boston Red Sox, he oversaw the assembly of an impressive crop of young
stars — 23-year-old MVP candidate Mookie Betts, 23-year-old all-star shortstop
Xander Bogaerts and 26-year-old all-star centre fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.,
among them — that have helped the Red Sox leapfrog the Jays into first place.
“(Cherington’s) legacy is left
here,” Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters in Boston on Wednesday.
“There are imprints all over this current team, and the people he brought in.”
So if the Jays are unable to
unseat Boston for the division title, they can at least take some solace in the
fact that they should be able to steal some of their rival’s secrets.
“Pepsi just hired the guy with
Coca-Cola’s recipe,” is how Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald described
Cherington’s move to Toronto, adding that Red Sox ownership “should be
worried.”
A 42-year-old, Harvard-educated
New Englander, Cherington has a reputation as an analytically inclined,
even-keeled, evidence-based decision maker, which would seem to align with
first-year Jays’ president Mark Shapiro’s overall vision and philosophy.
Cherington also worked with Shapiro in the Cleveland Indians organization for
one season in 1998 as an advanced scout.
In the news release announcing
the hiring, the Jays said Cherington will impact “every aspect” of baseball
operations, but he will have an “emphasis” on player development. Shapiro,
whose background is in player development, clearly views that as an area of
focus as he looks to reshape the organization behind the scenes.
Interestingly, after serving as
GM of the Red Sox for nearly four years, Cherington left Boston in somewhat
similar circumstances to how former Jays’ GM Alex Anthopoulos walked away from
Toronto when the organization hired Shapiro to be his new boss.
In the midst of last year’s disappointing
campaign, Red Sox ownership hired veteran baseball executive Dave Dombrowski as
president, giving him final say over baseball decisions, just as Shapiro was
hired above Anthopoulos.
Cherington resigned shortly
thereafter and he spent the past academic year serving as an instructor at
Columbia University, teaching a course in the sports management department.
Given Boston’s current strong
place in the standings, Cherington’s time at the helm is being remembered today
for the hits. But like any general manager, he also had his share of misses.
His first full season as GM in
2012 was a disaster, though not entirely of his own making. Following the
fried-chicken-and-beer fiasco of 2011, when Boston went into a death spiral in
the final month of the season, the Red Sox fired longtime manager Terry
Francona. Cherington was promoted to general manager that October when Theo
Epstein resigned the post to become president of baseball operations for the
Chicago Cubs.
Red Sox ownership ignored
Cherington’s recommendations for a new manager and instead chose Bobby
Valentine, a bombastic character who hadn’t managed in the big leagues since
2002. Valentine’s tenure lasted just one dismal season. After trading for a new
manager in John Farrell, who was under contract with the Jays, Cherington set
out to rebuild the Red Sox and successfully reversed their fortunes, going from
worst to first in a single season and winning the 2013 World Series.
They tanked again in 2014,
leading Cherington to make two flashy free-agent signings: Hanley Ramirez on a
four-year, $88-million deal; and Pablo Sandoval on a five-year, $95-million
deal.
While Sandoval’s deal looks like
a total flop, Ramirez has bounced back this season — 24 home runs and an .846
OPS — after an injury-riddled and disappointing debut season in Boston.
Another one of his big misses was
signing Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo to a seven-year, $72.5-million deal in
2014. The 29-year-old has thus far failed to establish himself in the major
leagues and hasn’t performed well in the minors. Cherington also traded for
Allen Craig, whom the Red Sox paid $9 million this season to play in the
minors.
In spite of those
less-than-stellar moves, Cherington is still considered one of the game’s
brightest executives — particularly in terms of player development — and was
reportedly wooed by several teams before taking the post in Toronto.
