Miami's front office is getting a makeover. The Marlins have already made several front office changes and they are expected to make several more. But there are plenty of reasons to believe good things are coming.
While as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported Thursday the Marlins are unsure of Dan Jennings' future with the organization, the club was quick to make some adjustments. Vice president of player personnel Craig Weissman was reassigned and scout Mickey White was fired. Marc Delpiano was brought on to oversee minor league operations. In the meantime, the voices of Mike Berger, Jeff McAvoy and David Keller are all being heard.
The easy thing to do is question the moves. Instead, here are three reasons why they will likely prove to pay off.
1. With a revamped front office comes a new scouting department
Although the assumption is the scouting department takes orders from the front office, the addition of new faces should prove to be beneficial. Now that White, a veteran scout, is no longer with the organization, the Marlins have an opportunity to alter the way they asses talent. Whether the Marlins utilize advanced metrics or not is to be determined, but regardless, each scout evaluates players differently.
Several top Marlins draft picks have had difficulty over the last few seasons. The farm system is depleted and each minor league affiliates struggled in 2015.
While some turn immediately to the draft when determining how effective scouts are, certain scouts are also responsible for determining what prospects should be sought in trades. The Marlins have not been much better in that department, either.
New front office faces means new scouts. New scouts likely means seeking different types of players, which will likely be beneficial for the Marlins.
2. Front office executives have new opportunities
Dan Jennings put together the 2015 Marlins. The club did play well in 2014 and has been plagued by injuries this season, but Jennings put the pieces together. If Owner Jeffrey Loria is really listening to him less, as some reports have suggested, it might be time for Berger and McAvoy to shine.
Though the hierarchy within the organization is not expected to change (Michael Hill is still first in line and Loria is involved in personnel decisions), Berger and McAvoy could take advantage of more power by altering the roster as they see fit. McAvoy, according to Rosenthal, was the one who suggested moving Latos and Morse. Morse was struggling and Latos was not held in the highest regard in the clubhouse.
Several notable roster moves could be imminent. New front office executives means new mindsets and likely new styles. That should be something to look forward to.
3. New executives should have a say in managerial search
It is no secret the Marlins will be searching for a veteran manager at the end of the season. Regardless of who the Marlins consider, fresh faces will likely be involved in the decision process.
The new faces did not hire Mike Redmond or Ozzie Guillen or any of the managers before them. The fact that there will be fresh voices involved in meetings with regard to the managerial search should yield one of most qualified candidates.