MLB GM Rankings 2026

A California native, Arnold earned an economics degree from UC Santa Barbara in 2001. He worked for the Rangers and Reds before spending nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays as a professional scout. He joined the Brewers in 2015 as VP and assistant GM, became GM in 2020, and took over baseball operations in 2022.

Sources: Matt Arnold (baseball) — Wikipedia, Matt Arnold — Brewers / MLB.com

Born in Montreal, Anthopoulos got his start with his hometown Expos as a media-relations intern in 2000 before moving into scouting. He joined the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003, became their GM in 2010, and was named Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2015 after Toronto reached the ALCS. After two seasons with the Dodgers, he took over Atlanta's baseball operations.

Sources: Alex Anthopoulos — Wikipedia, Alex Anthopoulos — Braves / MLB.com

Raised in Oneonta, New York, Neander graduated from Virginia Tech in 2005 with a degree in food, nutrition, and exercise. He started at Baseball Info Solutions, joined the Rays as an intern in 2007, and rose steadily to VP of baseball operations and then GM. He shared MLB Executive of the Year honors for 2019.

Sources: Erik Neander — Wikipedia, Erik Neander — Rays / MLB.com

Raised in an Irish Catholic family in Washingtonville, New York, Cashman walked on at Division III Catholic University of America, where he was a four-year starter at second base and leadoff hitter, earning a history degree in 1989. He joined the Yankees as an intern in 1986 while still in college, working minor-league scouting by day and stadium security at night. He rose to assistant GM in 1992 — helping run the club during George Steinbrenner's suspension — and succeeded Bob Watson as GM in 1998, becoming one of the youngest GMs in the game.

Sources: Brian Cashman — Wikipedia, Yankees re-sign Brian Cashman — MLB.com

A Long Island native, Preller graduated summa cum laude from Cornell in 1999, where he roomed for three years with future Rangers president Jon Daniels. After an internship with the Phillies and work for the Dodgers and MLB, he joined the Texas Rangers in 2004, eventually becoming assistant GM overseeing scouting and player development. The Padres hired him as GM in August 2014 after a six-week search.

Sources: A. J. Preller — Wikipedia, A.J. Preller — Padres / MLB.com

Dombrowski began with the Chicago White Sox in 1978 and became GM of the Montreal Expos in 1988 at age 31 — the youngest in the majors at the time. He then built the expansion Florida Marlins into 1997 World Series champions, ran the Detroit Tigers to the 2006 pennant, and as Boston's president of baseball operations assembled the 2018 World Series champions. He took over the Phillies after 2020 and guided them to the 2022 National League pennant.

Sources: Dave Dombrowski — Wikipedia, Dave Dombrowski discusses career — MLB.com

Hoyer played shortstop and pitched at Wesleyan University, where he shares the school career saves record, and majored in American history. He joined the Red Sox in 2002 and helped recruit Curt Schilling to Boston in 2003. He served as GM of the San Diego Padres in 2010-11 before returning to work alongside Epstein with the Cubs and ultimately succeeding him.

Sources: Jed Hoyer — Wikipedia, Cubs sign Hoyer to extension — MLB.com

A Connecticut native, Antonetti graduated from Georgetown University and earned a master's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He worked in the Montreal Expos' front office in 1998 before joining Cleveland in 1999. He rose to general manager at the end of the 2010 season, succeeding Mark Shapiro, and was promoted to president of baseball operations on October 6, 2015.

Sources: Chris Antonetti — Wikipedia, Guardians Front Office — MLB.com

Hazen played four years of baseball at Princeton and was drafted by San Diego in 1998. After playing and scouting time with Cleveland, he joined the Red Sox in 2006, rising through player development to assistant GM and then GM in 2015. He left to run Arizona's baseball operations a year later.

Sources: Mike Hazen — Wikipedia, Mike Hazen — Diamondbacks / MLB.com

Brown played college baseball at Seton Hall alongside future big-leaguers Mo Vaughn and Craig Biggio, and is in the Seton Hall Hall of Fame. After a brief pro playing career, he scouted for the Pirates, became scouting director for the Expos/Nationals, and then VP of scouting for the Braves, where he oversaw drafts that landed Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider before joining Houston.

Sources: Dana Brown (baseball) — Wikipedia, Dana Brown — Astros / MLB.com

A Philadelphia native, Bloom contributed to sabermetrics site Baseball Prospectus while still a Yale undergraduate, graduating in 2004 with a degree in Latin classics. He spent 15 years with the Tampa Bay Rays, rising to senior VP of baseball operations, then served as Boston's chief baseball officer from 2020 to 2023 before joining St. Louis.

Sources: Chaim Bloom — Wikipedia, Chaim Bloom introduced as Cardinals POBO — MLB.com

Born in 1968, Dipoto pitched in college for VCU and was a relief pitcher in the majors for Cleveland, the Mets and the Rockies from 1993 to 2000, receiving Rookie of the Year consideration in 1993. He moved into front offices with the Red Sox, Rockies and Diamondbacks, then served as general manager of the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners hired him on September 28, 2015, and promoted him to president of baseball operations on September 1, 2021.

Sources: Jerry Dipoto — Wikipedia, Jerry Dipoto named 2025 Executive of the Year — MLB.com

A San Francisco native, Toboni walked on at Cal — playing shortstop on the 2011 College World Series team despite two hip surgeries — and later earned an MBA at Notre Dame, where he competed in the men's boxing program. He spent a decade with the Red Sox, ultimately as assistant GM, and led a scouting-and-development turnaround that lifted Boston's farm system from last to first in industry rankings.

Sources: Paul Toboni — Wikipedia, Paul Toboni to be named Nationals POBO — MLB.com

An Alexandria, Virginia native, DePodesta played baseball and football at Harvard and graduated cum laude in economics in 1995. As Billy Beane's assistant GM in Oakland he helped drive the analytics revolution chronicled in "Moneyball," then served as Dodgers GM and held executive roles with the Padres and Mets. From 2016 to 2025 he was the Cleveland Browns' chief strategy officer before returning to baseball.

Sources: Paul DePodesta — Wikipedia, Rockies hire Paul DePodesta — MLB.com

A pitcher at Yale (class of 2006), Elias began as a St. Louis Cardinals scout in 2007, rising to manager of amateur scouting. He followed Jeff Luhnow to Houston in 2011, becoming scouting director and later assistant GM, and is widely credited for the Astros' No. 1 overall pick of Carlos Correa in 2012. In Baltimore he drafted All-Stars Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jordan Westburg.

Sources: Mike Elias — Wikipedia, Mike Elias named Orioles GM — MLB.com

Posey starred at Florida State, winning the 2008 Golden Spikes Award, before a 12-year Giants career that brought NL Rookie of the Year (2010), an MVP (2012), and three World Series titles. After retiring in 2021 he joined the Giants' ownership group and board of directors in 2022, then took over baseball operations in 2024.

Sources: Buster Posey — Wikipedia, Buster Posey introduced as Giants POBO — MLB.com

A Greensboro, North Carolina native, Atkins pitched at Wake Forest, where he studied economics and posted 91 strikeouts as a senior. Drafted by Cleveland in 1995, he pitched five minor-league seasons before retiring. He spent 15 years in Cleveland's front office — much of it in player development and Latin American operations — before becoming Toronto's GM.

Sources: Ross Atkins (baseball) — Wikipedia, Atkins tabbed as Blue Jays GM — Wake Forest Athletics

Young starred in both baseball and basketball at Princeton, becoming the Ivy League's first male two-sport Rookie of the Year. He pitched 13 MLB seasons (2004-2017), made the 2007 NL All-Star team, and won the 2015 World Series with Kansas City. After working in MLB's central office, he joined the Rangers' front office and rose to GM and then president of baseball operations.

Sources: Chris Young (pitcher) — Wikipedia, Chris Young — Rangers / MLB.com

Born in Rossville, Pennsylvania, Krall grew up working in his family's construction business and rooting for the Orioles. He attended LSU and interned with the Oakland Athletics during the "Moneyball" era. He joined the Reds in 2003 as an advance scout and climbed through baseball operations to assistant GM, GM in 2018, and ultimately president of baseball operations.

Sources: Nick Krall — Wikipedia, Nick Krall promoted to Reds POBO — MLB.com

Raised on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Stearns wrote for The Harvard Crimson and interned with the Pirates before graduating from Harvard in 2007. He worked for the MLB central office on collective-bargaining negotiations, then held baseball-ops roles in Cleveland and Houston (as Jeff Luhnow's assistant GM). Hired by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015 at age 30, he was the youngest GM in baseball and later their president of baseball operations before joining the Mets.

Sources: David Stearns — Wikipedia, David Stearns hired by Mets — MLB.com

Harris earned an economics degree from UCLA, where he also played club lacrosse, and later completed an MBA at Northwestern's Kellogg School. He interned with the Nationals and Reds, worked in MLB's commissioner's office, then joined the Cubs — serving as an assistant GM during their 2016 title — before becoming Giants GM in 2019 and taking over Detroit's baseball operations.

Sources: Scott Harris (baseball) — Wikipedia, Scott Harris named Tigers POBO — MLB.com

Breslow majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale, led the Ivy League in ERA as a senior, and was drafted by Milwaukee in 2002. He pitched 12 MLB seasons for seven clubs, winning the 2013 World Series with Boston. He joined the Cubs' front office in 2019, rising to assistant GM in charge of pitching, before Boston hired him to run baseball operations.

Sources: Craig Breslow — Wikipedia, About Craig Breslow — Strike 3 Foundation

A New Jersey native, Picollo played college baseball as a catcher at NC State, then coached at George Mason and George Washington before joining the Atlanta Braves as a scout in 1999. When Dayton Moore became Royals GM in 2006, Picollo was his first hire as director of player development; he later succeeded Moore atop baseball operations.

Sources: J. J. Picollo — Wikipedia, J.J. Picollo — Royals / MLB.com

Raised in Ridgewood, New Jersey, Zoll was a four-year starting catcher at Haverford College and earned a degree in East Asian studies in 2012. He interned with the Reds and Blue Jays, then worked as an advance scouting coordinator with the Los Angeles Angels and an assistant director of player development with the Dodgers. The Twins hired him in 2018 as director of minor league operations; he was promoted to assistant general manager in 2020 and vice president in 2021 before being named GM on November 12, 2024.

Sources: Jeremy Zoll — Wikipedia, Jeremy Zoll named Twins general manager — MLB.com

A Cleveland native, Bendix took a sabermetrics course at Tufts that produced a research project and two internship offers. He joined the Rays as an intern in 2009 and rose to GM there in 2021, succeeding Erik Neander, before Miami hired him to lead a full-organization rebuild built on analytics.

Sources: Peter Bendix — Wikipedia, Peter Bendix — Marlins / MLB.com

Cherington played baseball at Amherst College, earned an English degree, and added a master's in sports management from UMass Amherst. His MLB career began in 1998 as a video advance scout for Cleveland; he then spent more than 15 years with the Red Sox, becoming GM after the 2011 season and winning the 2013 World Series. After a stint as Toronto's VP of baseball operations, he took the Pirates job.

Sources: Ben Cherington — Wikipedia, Cherington named Pirates GM — MLB.com

A Southern California native, Forst was a standout shortstop and senior captain at Harvard, earning Third Team All-America honors and graduating cum laude in sociology in 1998. After a brief pro playing attempt, he joined the A's as a scout in 2000, succeeded Paul DePodesta as assistant GM in 2004, and spent 11 years as Beane's top deputy before becoming GM.

Sources: David Forst — Wikipedia, David Forst, From Harvard Baseball to Moneyball — Harvard Crimson

A Michigan native, Getz was a high-school "Mr. Baseball" and starred at the University of Michigan before the White Sox drafted him in 2005. He played in the majors from 2008 to 2014 for the White Sox, Royals, and Blue Jays, then moved into player development with Kansas City and Chicago, becoming an assistant GM before taking the GM job.

Sources: Chris Getz — Wikipedia, White Sox GM Chris Getz — MLB.com

Raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Minasian became a Texas Rangers batboy at age eight while his father worked as an assistant clubhouse manager. He became a Rangers scout in 2003, then spent years with the Blue Jays — where he helped draft Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard and sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — before serving as an assistant GM in Atlanta and taking the Angels job.

Sources: Perry Minasian — Wikipedia, Perry Minasian named Angels GM — MLB.com