Newest Chicago Cubs Executive Has His Eye on Running Baseball Operations

The newest Chicago Cubs executive said that his goal is to run baseball operations one day.

Mar 1, 2021; Sarasota, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays Tyler Zombro (82) poses during media day at Ed Smith Stadium / USA TODAY NETWORK

Despite the lack of success that has been present during Jed Hoyer's time in charge of the Chicago Cubs, the front office and baseball operations department as a whole has been early adopters when it comes to cutting-edge things entering the sport.

Amongst all the criticism that Hoyer has received, the ownership group is really what has hamstrung their ability to land the star players that this fan base has been clamoring for over the years.

Because of that, developing players in their pipeline has become extra important, something that has taken place for the Cubs under the leadership of Hoyer.

Pitching specifically has been what this organization can hang their hats on, with them seemingly able to get the most out of their guys while turning some of their young arms into premier players.

That got former assistant general manager and vice president of pitching, Craig Breslow, hired by the Boston Red Sox to be their new chief baseball officer, and with a need to replace him, Chicago was able to bring in another rising star when they hired Tyler Zombro.

This new was first reported in mid-November of 2024, highlighting how the Cubs are willing to hire anyone they think can help their organization since the 30-year-old was at Tread Athletics before he was brought on.

Of course, Zombro isn't just anyone.

He was a former minor league pitcher who never made it to The Show in part due to a skull fracture he suffered on a comebacker in 2021.

Zombro last pitched in 2023 before deciding to move onto his post-playing career, and with his days on the mound in a competitive fashion behind him, he is now fully turning his attention to becoming an executive.

"As of right now, I think I’m driven to be a (general manager or team president)," he said per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

For certain fans out there, that might catch their attention since Hoyer is seemingly on the hot seat if this season doesn't go well, so hearing those lofty goals from someone who was just hired could be notable.

But, Zombro is ready to learn from what Chicago has to offer at this point in time, not coming in with the notion that he's ready to run things.

"I know there are things I need to learn with the intricacies of that and there’s also a ton of value that I need to contribute from a (player development) lens. But I think where Chicago differed is they did a really good job of getting creative on how I can best be utilized with my skill sets," he added.

Sharma also notes that Hoyer is taking the same approach with Zombro as his mentor, Theo Epstein, took with his assistants.

"Hoyer is following in the footsteps of Theo Epstein here as he allows Zombro to experience multiple aspects of the organization — with an obvious focus on pitching — before really zeroing in on one area. Breslow followed a similar path. With Zombro's ultimate desire to someday lead a baseball operations department, he’ll need to be well versed in all areas of an organization," the insider wrote.

How this progresses will be seen, but Zombro is seen as a rising star in the game, and working with Hoyer and in his front office should certainly put him on the right path to achieving his goal of being in charge of a team's baseball operations one day.

Whether that's with the Cubs or not is to be determined.