Report: Red Sox interview former SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler in GM search
The Boston Red Sox have interviewed former SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler in their search for a new head of baseball operations, according to a report by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. Kapler was the Giants manager over the past four seasons before he was fired prior to the final series of the regular season. While Kapler was at the helm of a late-season collapse, many believe he was scapegoated for broader organizational mistakes.
SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler answers questions from the media. (2023)
Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Kapler has been a manager for the past six years, leading the Phillies from 2018-2019 before he was fired. However, Kapler had worked in the Los Angeles Dodgers front office prior to that as a farm director from 2014-2017. In that role, Kapler championed prioritizing player nutrition and other health initiatives in a way that organizations never had before with minor leaguers. While it has become a common practice now, Kapler was ahead of the curve.
That said, his tenure with the Dodgers has also generated criticism as well. The Dodgers have since become the subject of a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice into the team's recruitment of players in Latin America during Kapler's tenure. Furthermore, a Washington Post report emerged that Kapler had failed to report multiple incidents of sexual violence perpetrated by members of the Dodgers organization to MLB (a violation of league policy) or the police.
Several prominent potential candidates for the Red Sox top baseball operations position have withdrawn themself for consideration over concerns surrounding the organization, which may have led ownership to consider more non-traditional candidates. Furthermore, Kapler holds a notable place in Red Sox history. He was one of the nine players on the field when Boston won the franchise's first World Series in more than 80 years in 2004. Kapler actually took a hiatus from his playing career in 2007 to manage the Red Sox Single-A affiliate as well.
It would be extremely unorthodox for a manager to become a president of baseball operations in modern MLB. However, Kapler's post-playing career has followed an undeniably unique path. Few managers have received a second opportunity to manage after they were fired, but he was immediately hired by San Francisco after he was fired by the Phillies. Now, he is a candidate for the top position in baseball operations shortly after another firing.
While the Boston Red Sox hiring Gabe Kapler would not directly impact the SF Giants, Kapler and San Francisco's president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi, were close for many years. It's not out of the question to think that Kapler becoming the top decision-maker in Boston could lead to several trades between the two teams, especially since the Red Sox organization is filled with young hitters but lacks pitching depth while the opposite is true for the Giants.
