Front Office Notes: Marlins, Click, Braves

The Marlins recently parted ways with GM Kim Ng in a somewhat shocking move, considering Miami just made the postseason in a full season for the first time since 2003. Today, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald discusses the concerns Marlins owner Bruce Sherman had regarding the club’s front office. Per Jackson, ownership’s concerns centered around the club’s player development and drafting apparatus, specifically on the position player side of things. Top position player draft picks for the Marlins under Ng like catcher Joe Mack, infielder Kahlil Watson, and infielder Jacob Berry have all struggled to this point in their professional careers, though Watson is no longer part of the organization after being dealt to Cleveland at the trade deadline this year.

Ultimately, those concerns ended up being the trigger for decisions that led to Ng’s departure from the Marlins, including his desire to install a president of baseball operations above her and his move to pick up the team’s half of a mutual option rather than offer her an extension. Per Jackson, Sherman’s goal in hiring a president of baseball operations above Ng was to have someone else lead a restructuring of the amateur scouting and player development departments of the front office in addition to having a hands-on role in those areas. Jackson adds that Miami’s next president of baseball operations will have to fill out senior-level positions in the front office in addition to restructuring the aforementioned areas; along with Ng’s departure as GM, Jackson adds that senior director of international operations Adrian Lorenzo is departing the organization while senior director of player personnel Billy Masse was never replaced after exiting last offseason.

More front office notes from around the game…

• As the Red Sox continue their search for the club’s next head of baseball operations, former Astros GM James Click became the latest high-profile candidate to pull himself from consideration for the position today. Per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, Click talked to the Red Sox about the opportunity but has declined to pursue the organization’s top job, citing family considerations. In doing so, Click joins a number of other candidates who have to decline the spot at the head of Boston’s baseball operations department including former Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels, former Marlins president Michael Hill, and Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen. Click currently works in Toronto’s front office as vice president of baseball strategy.
• Per R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports, the Braves have officially promoted Ronit Shah to the role of scouting director. Shah was already running the club’s scouting department in 2023 after previously serving as assistant scouting director under Dana Brown, who departed the organization last offseason to take over as GM of the Astros. Atlanta’s scouting operation has seen great successes in recent years, including last year’s breakout performances by rookies Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II. The pair were drafted in the fourth and third rounds of the 2020 and 2019 drafts, respectively.