Philadelphia Phillies: 3 potential President candidates to consider

Dec 17, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays Sr. Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Erik Neander talks during a press conference at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays Sr. Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Erik Neander talks during a press conference at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

The Philadelphia Phillies have begun their search for a new President of Baseball Operations.

Despite their initial silence on the matter, it sounds like the Philadelphia Phillies have finally begun their search for a new President of Baseball Operations. According to a report published by The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, John Middleton intends to start interviewing candidates over the next week or so.

With Matt Klentak (kinda) out the door, and Andy MacPhail on his last legs, the need for a new voice in the front office is pressing.

With that in mind, here are three potential candidates that could fill the void:

More from Section 215

Erik Neander: Tampa Bay Rays, Senior VP of Baseball Operations/GM

Essentially the best possible hire the Phillies could make, landing Erik Neander would be the baseball equivalent of the Sixers hiring Daryl Morey; except probably better.

Neander has been with the Tampa Bay Rays organization since 2007, and has steadily climbed his way up the ranks to Senior VP/General Manager. He won the MLB’s “Executive of the Year” award in 2019, and is wildly regarded as one of the best front office minds in all of baseball.

His effective use of analytics helped guide the Rays to the best record in the American League this past season, culminating in a trip to the World Series. He did all this operating with the third lowest payroll in the sport.

Despite Neander constantly being linked to other team’s vacant front office positions, no legit rumors have surfaced regarding a potential departure. John Middleton could always coax him away from Tampa with a lofty contract and a $200+ million payroll, but as of right now it does seems unlikely.