Brandon Gomes is the Dodgers’ First GM in Years – What Does He Bring to the Table?

What will Brandon Gomes bring to his new role as the Dodgers’ GM? We took a look at his history with them and what he could do here.

Following the departure of Farhan Zaidi in 2018, the Los Angeles Dodgers were without a General Manager for several years. This changed with the appointment of Brandon Gomes to the role. How will this benefit the Dodgers, and what skills and experience does Gomes bring to the table? Let’s take a closer look.

Gomes’ Previous Career

Gomes is coming to the role as a retired baseball player, as many in the sport do. After all, who is better to direct the sport than someone who played it themselves? They will know the ins and outs of the pressures that players will face, and they will be perfectly placed to make recommendations to improve the team and get the best performance possible out of players.

In the case of Gomes, he never actually played for the Dodgers, but that does not mean that he did not have a good career elsewhere. He was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 17thround of the 2007 MLB draft and played with them until December 2010. He was then traded to the Tampa Bay Rays with several other players and made his major league debut on the 3rd of May 2011. He then signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs in 2015 and was released from that contract in June of 2016.

Following his release from the Cubs, he joined the Dodgers as a pitching coordinator. From there, he has risen through player development and has been serving as the assistant general manager since 2019. This promotion to GM was the next logical step in his career, and it has come at a great time for the Dodgers.

Interest From Other Teams

With a competitive sport like baseball, the teams will all watch each other closely to see what moves the others will be making. There is always some player or coach who is rising above the others, and so the other teams will begin to hustle and see what they can do to bring these stars onboard.

To see the extent of this in action, you only need to head to a site that specializes in odds comparison (www.sidelines.io is a good example) to see where the smart money is going. Which teams are being favored above others? The favorites at any given time are the ones that are likely to be the teams that are receiving a lot of interest and offers for trades.

It is no secret that Gomes has worked wonders in his role at the Dodgers. His rise through the player development department has been due to a lot of hard work and strategies and improvements that have had a real difference. As a result, there were several teams who were allegedly interested in acquiring Gomes’ expertise including the New York Mets, though they eventually hired Billy Eppler instead. Interest from the other teams is always a good indication of how the individual is viewed by the industry as a whole, and Gomes is one who many respect.

What Does He Bring to the Table?

Though many who work in the world of baseball have experience on and off the pitch, few have the experience that Gomes has managed to accrue. He has proven to be loyal to the Dodgers over the years, and this has helped to lead to many of the opportunities he has taken on within the club. If you are willing to demonstrate loyalty to a team, it will be rewarded.

He has proven to be popular with the other executives within the team and with the players. With consistent hard work, he has proven that he is capable of delivering results, and this is something that executives will always want to see.

This started back when he was just a player. Current president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was the GM of the Rays when Gomes was a pitcher there, and he got to know how Gomes best operated on an amazing level. As a player, he was able to demonstrate a fantastic capacity to take on and implement constructive criticism. This is something that has only improved as he has moved into his management roles, and it is a trait that will serve him well as a GM.

The Future for Gomes and the Dodgers

This is a very new appointment for Gomes, so it will be great to see how he will manage to use his expertise and knowledge in this new role. It is clear that he is happy with the Dodgers, and they in turn are happy to have him on their side. Time will tell how he manages to work with them in this new role. However, since he is well-known by the team already, we imagine that he will quickly prove his value to them.