Brian Cashman, Andrew Friedman, and Ned Colletti aren’t the only current general managers being linked to the Cubs’ opening, with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writing that Billy Beane “might consider an offer if the Cubs do approach him about their GM vacancy.”
Beane nearly became the Red Sox’s general manager in 2002, accepting the position before changing his mind, but Slusser speculates that his frustration with the A’s ballpark, ownership, and payroll situation has grown considering since then. He’s signed through 2014, but according Slusser owner Lew Wolff would probably let him interview for the Cubs’ job and assistant general manager David Forst is the presumed successor to Beane.
It’s only been a week since Jim Hendry was fired and we’re already nearing the point where every prominent GM is linked to the Cubs’ opening. Most of the names don’t seem all that realistic and Beane may fall into that category too, but if he wants to run a team with a large payroll and aggressive ownership the Cubs’ job fits the bill as well as any that figures to be open in the near future.