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When Jed Hoyer took the position of president of baseball operations for the Cubs, taking over from Theo Epstein, the question quickly became: who will be the next general manager of the Cubs? Who would be at the immediate forefront of making the big changes that fans are hoping to see in the coming months?
That question has now been answered, as the team announced Carter Hawkins would be the club’s new general manager, as we reported might be coming earlier this week.
Hawkins is young, in GM terms, at only 37, and this is his first time as a team’s general manager, but he’s no stranger to the inner workings of managing a team. He has spent 14 years in the Cleveland Guardians organization, the most recent five of which he was their assistant general manager. Taking the helm of a team was the next logical step for him.
In a statement about the hiring, Hoyer was enthused about the new GM. “I am thrilled to bring Carter into our organization. He has earned a fantastic reputation as a leader through hard work, open-mindedness, humility, and intelligence. I enjoyed getting to know him throughout the interview process, and it quickly became clear that we share the same passion for team building. I look forward to partnering with him to build the next great Cubs team.”
This is obviously a huge vote of confidence for Hawkins, and generally suggests he’ll fit in well with the existing front office. What it means in terms of next steps for the team itself obviously remains to be seen. But with someone finally filling in that general manager role full time, it means the front office and Hoyer himself won’t be spread as thin.
Hawkins is a smart selection in many ways, as one of his primary focuses with the Guardians was working on player development. This could certainly bode well, especially in terms of turning young pitchers into future superstars.
After almost a full year with no GM in place, it’s nice to see the Cubs filling the role ahead of what should be an active offseason.