When former – and popular – Dodgers General Manager Farhan Zaidi left the organization to assume the role of President of Baseball Operations for the San Francisco Giants after the 2018 season, Dodgers current – and popular – President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman did not replace him for the 2019 season.

…or the 2020 season.

…or the 2021 season.

Instead, the (now) 45-year-old Houston, TX native considered by many to be the best in the business wore two hats: those of President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. But on Tuesday morning, the one-time Tulane University outfielder and seven-year Dodgers executive finally gave up his GM hat to 37-year-old (and equally popular) Brandon Gomes, with whom Friedman had previously worked in the Tampa Bay Rays organization) until his appointment as the Dodgers Pitching Coordinator of Performance in 2016.

“I’m thrilled to announce the promotion of Brandon to General Manager, as he has been an integral part of our success since joining the Dodgers in 2016,” Friedman said in a prepared statement on Tuesday afternoon. “I look forward to our continued partnership as we strive for another world championship.”

In addition to his various administrative roles, Gomes spent five seasons in Bigs as a right-handed reliever for the Rays. He was initially drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 17th round of the 2007 MLB Draft out of Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, and traded to Tampa Bay in December of 2010. In December of 2015, Gomes was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs but was released in June of 2016 without having appeared in a Major League game with them.

But wait… There’s more!

In addition to the promotion of Gomes to General Manager, the Dodgers made several other significant changes to their front office staff, posting this on Twitter on Tuesday:

Although all of these promotions are important, the one that jumps out at you is the promotion of Brandon McDaniel to Vice President of Player Performance. As most Dodgers fans know, McDaniel served as the Dodgers Director of Player Performance from 2019 to 2021 and has held various titles since joining the Dodgers organization in 2012 as Strength Coach for the (then) Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. He served as the Dodgers Strength and Conditioning Coach in 2013 and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach from 2014 to 2018. 2022 will be McDaniel’s 14th season in professional baseball, which includes three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2007 to 2009.

Play Ball!

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