Bill Bavasi
Encyclopedia
William J. Bavasi, born December 27, 1957 in Scarsdale, New York
, is a former general manager
and vice president of baseball operations for the Seattle Mariners
, and currently works as a Special Assistant to the GM for the Cincinnati Reds
, under Reds GM Walt Jocketty
. The son of longtime Major League Baseball
executive Buzzie Bavasi
and the brother of Peter Bavasi
, also a former MLB executive, Bill also spent six full seasons (1994–99) as the general manager of the California/Anaheim Angels
and 4½ seasons with the Seattle Mariners (2003–2008). The latter (2003–2008), where the Mariners experienced a sharp dropoff in victories from preceding seasons, has been characterized as perhaps one of the darkest periods in Mariner history, following a period of noteworthy success under preceding former Mariners GM Pat Gillick
(2000–2003), who had left the Mariners in contention.
Bill Bavasi was a graduate of University of San Diego
. Bavasi began his front office baseball career with the Angels, where his father was front office boss from –84
. Bill was an administrator in the Angels' minor league department in 1981–82, then held the positions of farm system director and Director of Player Development before he succeeded Whitey Herzog
as the Angels' GM on January 12, 1994. Bavasi remained in place when the club was sold by Jackie Autry
, widow of the team's original owner Gene Autry
, to the Walt Disney Company. But late-season collapses plagued the franchise, and Bavasi was succeeded by Bill Stoneman
on October 1, . After two seasons (–) as player development chief of the Los Angeles Dodgers
—the team his father oversaw through four World Series
titles during the 1950s and 1960s—Bill Bavasi returned to the GM ranks with the Mariners on November 7, . However, he did not excel, as the Mariners had a total record of 322–395 under Bavasi. Bavasi was fired on June 16, 2008.
In May discussions about the losing 2008 season, Bavasi was quoted backing his field manager John McLaren
saying "John is doing the job, and the team's performance is not related to his work. It's purely related to player performance and underachieving." Unfortunately for Bavasi, he was the individual who signed and/or traded for the majority of the Mariners players.
Finally, with the worst record in the major leagues (24–45) Bavasi was fired on June 16, 2008. Seattle Mariners Chief Executive Officer Howard Lincoln
, who made the announcement, said, "Change is in order. We have determined new leadership is needed in the GM position. With a new leader will come a new plan and a new approach." Vice President/Associate GM Lee Pelekoudas was named to take over in the interim.
, Richie Sexson
, Adrián Beltré
, Jarrod Washburn
, Scott Spiezio
, Rich Aurilia
, Carl Everett
, Matt Lawton
, and Jeff Weaver
. Some of the notable trades that Bavasi has made during his 5-year tenure as Mariners GM include: Freddy Garcia
for Miguel Olivo
, Jeremy Reed
, and Mike Morse
; Carlos Guillén
for Ramón Santiago
; Asdrubal Cabrera
for Eduardo Perez
; Shin-Soo Choo
for Ben Broussard
; Randy Winn
for Jesse Foppert
and Yorvit Torrealba
; Rafael Soriano
for Horacio Ramírez
, and Matt Thornton
for Joe Borchard
. Many if not most of these moves were controversial moves and upset the Mariners' fan base which led to Howard Lincoln
(Mariners CEO), saying Bavasi was on the "hot seat" unless he produced a championship contender. Nonetheless, CEO Lincoln announced that Bavasi would be brought back in 2008 because he had produced a winning record in .
Talks of controversial transactions continued during the 2007–2008 offseason. On February 8, 2008, Bavasi consummated a deal in which Seattle acquired pitcher Érik Bédard
from the Baltimore Orioles
. Bédard was traded to the Seattle Mariners in a 5 for 1 deal sending outfielder Adam Jones
and pitchers George Sherrill
, Tony Butler, Chris Tillman
and Kam Mickolio
to the Orioles. By mid-May 2008 the Mariners were already fifteen games under .500 and already out of the pennant race, while Sherrill was near the top of the MLB in saves
and Jones batting .276 for Baltimore. As a direct result of the poor start the front office, likely in an act of desperation to avert the ignominious distinction of being the only triple digit losses and payroll franchise in sports history, reneged on their decision to keep him the entire 2008 season. It was also almost immediately apparent to most of the fan base that Bavasi's moves in the aforementioned offseason, despite one of the largest payrolls at $116 million, had been catastrophic for the franchise from which they are still reeling. This was not only mainly owed to the aforementioned 5 for 1 deal, but also the controversial signing of free agent pitcher Carlos Silva to a large contract that many felt without merit. By the time of Bavasi's firing in mid-June, Silva, despite going 3-0 his first 3 starts, had compiled a 3-8 record with a 5.79 ERA and 2 years into his contract was 5-18 with a 6.82 ERA. In December 2009, Silva was traded to the Chicago Cubs
along with cash for troubled outfielder Milton Bradley, who also had two more years and $20 million on his contract.
Bill Bavasi was ranked as 22nd out of 30 general managers for the MLB in 2004
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
, is a former general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
and vice president of baseball operations for the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
, and currently works as a Special Assistant to the GM for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, under Reds GM Walt Jocketty
Walt Jocketty
Walt Jocketty is the General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. He was previously the General Manager of the St...
. The son of longtime Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
executive Buzzie Bavasi
Buzzie Bavasi
Emil Joseph "Buzzie" Bavasi was an American executive in Major League Baseball who played a major role in the operation of three franchises from the late 1940s through the mid-1980s....
and the brother of Peter Bavasi
Peter Bavasi
Peter Bavasi was the farm director for the US baseball team the San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1972. He then replaced his father, Buzzie Bavasi as General Manager of the Padres from 1973 to 1976. Peter later went on to become the first GM of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977. He was president of the...
, also a former MLB executive, Bill also spent six full seasons (1994–99) as the general manager of the California/Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
and 4½ seasons with the Seattle Mariners (2003–2008). The latter (2003–2008), where the Mariners experienced a sharp dropoff in victories from preceding seasons, has been characterized as perhaps one of the darkest periods in Mariner history, following a period of noteworthy success under preceding former Mariners GM Pat Gillick
Pat Gillick
Lawrence Patrick David Gillick is a retired American professional baseball executive. He was the general manager of four Major League Baseball teams, and guided two teams to three World Series championships in his career: in 1992 and 1993 titles with the Toronto Blue Jays, and a 2008 title with...
(2000–2003), who had left the Mariners in contention.
Bill Bavasi was a graduate of University of San Diego
University of San Diego
The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic university in San Diego, California. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs...
. Bavasi began his front office baseball career with the Angels, where his father was front office boss from –84
1984 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Detroit Tigers over San Diego Padres ; Alan Trammell, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Kirk Gibson*National League Championship Series MVP: Steve Garvey...
. Bill was an administrator in the Angels' minor league department in 1981–82, then held the positions of farm system director and Director of Player Development before he succeeded Whitey Herzog
Whitey Herzog
Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including...
as the Angels' GM on January 12, 1994. Bavasi remained in place when the club was sold by Jackie Autry
Jackie Autry
Jackie Autry, is the former owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and widow of singer, actor and businessman Gene Autry...
, widow of the team's original owner Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
, to the Walt Disney Company. But late-season collapses plagued the franchise, and Bavasi was succeeded by Bill Stoneman
Bill Stoneman
William Hambly Stoneman III is a consultant for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. From 1999 to October 15, 2007, he served as the general manager of the Angels...
on October 1, . After two seasons (–) as player development chief of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
—the team his father oversaw through four World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
titles during the 1950s and 1960s—Bill Bavasi returned to the GM ranks with the Mariners on November 7, . However, he did not excel, as the Mariners had a total record of 322–395 under Bavasi. Bavasi was fired on June 16, 2008.
Seattle Mariners 2004–2008
During Bavasi's Mariner tenure, the club achieved only one winning season (88–74 in 2007). Losing records of 63–99 in 2004, 69–93 in 2005, 78–84 in 2006, and a sub .500 2008 did not help Bavasi's image from the fans perspectives. At mid year of the 2008 season, Bavasi could have been the first general manager in the history of the MLB to have a 100 loss season with a 100 million dollar payroll, which was unprecedented in not only MLB, but sports history. On June 16, 2008 Bavasi was relieved of his position with the Mariners in hopes of improving their already losing 2008 season.In May discussions about the losing 2008 season, Bavasi was quoted backing his field manager John McLaren
John McLaren (baseball)
John Lowell McLaren is a former Major League Baseball coach and manager, best known for his brief tenure as manager of the Seattle Mariners, from July 1, to June 19,...
saying "John is doing the job, and the team's performance is not related to his work. It's purely related to player performance and underachieving." Unfortunately for Bavasi, he was the individual who signed and/or traded for the majority of the Mariners players.
Finally, with the worst record in the major leagues (24–45) Bavasi was fired on June 16, 2008. Seattle Mariners Chief Executive Officer Howard Lincoln
Howard Lincoln
Howard Charles Lincoln is an American lawyer and businessman, known primarily for being the former chairman of Nintendo of America and the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Seattle Mariners baseball team, representing absentee majority owner Hiroshi Yamauchi...
, who made the announcement, said, "Change is in order. We have determined new leadership is needed in the GM position. With a new leader will come a new plan and a new approach." Vice President/Associate GM Lee Pelekoudas was named to take over in the interim.
Trades and signings
Through his tenure as the Seattle Mariners GM Bavasi had made plenty of impacting signings and trades, although few have been positives. Free agent signings under Bavasi include Carlos Silva, Raúl IbáñezRaúl Ibáñez
Raúl Javier Ibáñez is an American Major League Baseball outfielder.Over his career, Ibáñez, who did not make 500 plate appearances until the age of thirty, has batted .280 with 377 doubles, 252 home runs and 1054 runs batted in over sixteen Major League seasons...
, Richie Sexson
Richie Sexson
Richmond Lockwood "Big Sexy" Sexson is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for five teams from 1997 to 2008...
, Adrián Beltré
Adrián Beltré
Adrián Beltré Pérez is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Texas Rangers.The youngest player in the National League when he made his major league debut, he has also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , the Seattle Mariners , the Boston Red Sox , and the Texas Rangers . He bats and...
, Jarrod Washburn
Jarrod Washburn
Jarrod Michael Washburn is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and currently resides in his hometown of Webster, Wisconsin.-High school / college:...
, Scott Spiezio
Scott Spiezio
Scott Edward Spiezio is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He is currently an infielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League . He is well known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a 3-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against the...
, Rich Aurilia
Rich Aurilia
Richard Santo Aurilia is a former Major League Baseball player, mainly as a shortstop. He bats and throws right-handed.The 24th round pick of the Texas Rangers in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Aurilia worked in the Rangers minor league system before being traded with first baseman Desi...
, Carl Everett
Carl Everett
Carl Edward Everett III is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently an outfielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. A switch hitter, he played with the Chicago White Sox on their 2005 World Series winning team...
, Matt Lawton
Matt Lawton
Matthew "Matt" Lawton, Jr. is a retired professional baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior...
, and Jeff Weaver
Jeff Weaver
Jeffrey Charles Weaver is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has pitched in the majors for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinals, and Seattle Mariners...
. Some of the notable trades that Bavasi has made during his 5-year tenure as Mariners GM include: Freddy Garcia
Freddy García
Freddy Antonio García , nicknamed "The Chief", is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent...
for Miguel Olivo
Miguel Olivo
Miguel Eduardo Olivo Peña is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Seattle Mariners. He bats and throws right-handed.-Career:...
, Jeremy Reed
Jeremy Reed
Jeremy Thomas Reed is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent.Reed graduated from Bonita High School in 1999, and went on to play college baseball at Long Beach State University...
, and Mike Morse
Mike Morse
Michael John Morse is a Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman for the Washington Nationals.-Professional career:...
; Carlos Guillén
Carlos Guillén
Carlos Alfonso Guillén is a Major League Baseball second baseman and switch-hitter....
for Ramón Santiago
Ramón Santiago
Ramón D. Santiago is a Major League Baseball shortstop. He has spent most of his major league career at shortstop, but has also played a significant amount of time at second base...
; Asdrubal Cabrera
Asdrúbal Cabrera
Asdrúbal José Cabrera is a switch-hitting infielder for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball.After coming up through the Seattle Mariners organization, he was acquired by the Indians on June 30, 2006, in exchange for Eduardo Perez...
for Eduardo Perez
Eduardo Perez
Eduardo Atanasio Pérez, a Cuban-American is a former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball player. He is currently the hitting coach of the Miami Marlins. He batted and threw right-handed and joined the league in after playing college baseball under head coach Mike Martin for the...
; Shin-Soo Choo
Shin-Soo Choo
Shin-Soo Choo is a South Korean professional baseball outfielder with the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball in the United States.Choo was selected as the Most Valuable Player and Best Pitcher of the 2000 World Junior Baseball Championship as South Korea won the event...
for Ben Broussard
Ben Broussard
Benjamin Isaac Broussard is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman. He is currently a musician. Broussard was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft...
; Randy Winn
Randy Winn
Dwight Randolph Winn is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. Winn was a switch hitter, and threw right-handed. He played college baseball at Santa Clara University and made his Major League debut in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
for Jesse Foppert
Jesse Foppert
Jesse William Foppert is a Major League Baseball pitcher in the Florida Marlins organization.-High school and college:...
and Yorvit Torrealba
Yorvit Torrealba
Yorvit Adolfo Torrealba is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Texas Rangers. He previously played for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres. He bats and throws right-handed.-San Francisco Giants:...
; Rafael Soriano
Rafael Soriano
Rafael Soriano is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the New York Yankees. He bats and throws right-handed...
for Horacio Ramírez
Horacio Ramírez
Horacio Ramírez is a Major League Baseball pitcher. His parents emigrated from Jalostotitlan, Jalisco, Mexico.-Career:...
, and Matt Thornton
Matt Thornton
Matthew J. Thornton , is a left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. Before the season, Thornton was with the Seattle Mariners.-College and minor league baseball:...
for Joe Borchard
Joe Borchard
Joseph Edward Borchard is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He last played in the major leagues in 2007. Borchard was the 12th pick of the first round in the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft out of Stanford University by the Chicago White Sox...
. Many if not most of these moves were controversial moves and upset the Mariners' fan base which led to Howard Lincoln
Howard Lincoln
Howard Charles Lincoln is an American lawyer and businessman, known primarily for being the former chairman of Nintendo of America and the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Seattle Mariners baseball team, representing absentee majority owner Hiroshi Yamauchi...
(Mariners CEO), saying Bavasi was on the "hot seat" unless he produced a championship contender. Nonetheless, CEO Lincoln announced that Bavasi would be brought back in 2008 because he had produced a winning record in .
Talks of controversial transactions continued during the 2007–2008 offseason. On February 8, 2008, Bavasi consummated a deal in which Seattle acquired pitcher Érik Bédard
Erik Bedard
Érik Joseph Bédard is a free agent Canadian professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball.Bédard previously pitched for the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners. With Baltimore, he was the staff ace, setting the franchise single-season strikeouts per nine innings record at 10.93 in...
from the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. Bédard was traded to the Seattle Mariners in a 5 for 1 deal sending outfielder Adam Jones
Adam Jones (baseball)
Adam La Marque Jones is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles. Jones was born and raised in San Diego, California where he starred at Samuel F. B. Morse High School. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft by the Seattle Mariners...
and pitchers George Sherrill
George Sherrill
George Friederich Sherrill , also known as "The Brim Reaper", "Flat Breezy", and "Duckbill" , is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher, who is a free agent-College and independent baseball:Sherrill was not drafted after graduating from Austin Peay State...
, Tony Butler, Chris Tillman
Chris Tillman
Christopher Steven Tillman is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles. According to Baseball America, he was Baltimore's second best prospect, behind only Matt Wieters....
and Kam Mickolio
Kam Mickolio
Kameron Kraig 'Kam' Mickolio is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball.-Amateur career:...
to the Orioles. By mid-May 2008 the Mariners were already fifteen games under .500 and already out of the pennant race, while Sherrill was near the top of the MLB in saves
and Jones batting .276 for Baltimore. As a direct result of the poor start the front office, likely in an act of desperation to avert the ignominious distinction of being the only triple digit losses and payroll franchise in sports history, reneged on their decision to keep him the entire 2008 season. It was also almost immediately apparent to most of the fan base that Bavasi's moves in the aforementioned offseason, despite one of the largest payrolls at $116 million, had been catastrophic for the franchise from which they are still reeling. This was not only mainly owed to the aforementioned 5 for 1 deal, but also the controversial signing of free agent pitcher Carlos Silva to a large contract that many felt without merit. By the time of Bavasi's firing in mid-June, Silva, despite going 3-0 his first 3 starts, had compiled a 3-8 record with a 5.79 ERA and 2 years into his contract was 5-18 with a 6.82 ERA. In December 2009, Silva was traded to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
along with cash for troubled outfielder Milton Bradley, who also had two more years and $20 million on his contract.
Internet petitions
Several internet petitions had been started by outraged Mariners fans calling for the firing of Bill Bavasi as general manager of the club. A website cited the goal of becoming contenders once again and achieving the goal by firing the Mariners general manager. An online petition was also started calling for some action on Bavasi from the Mariners' upper management.Comparison to other General Managers
Forbes Magazine ranked Bavasi 87th out of 98 General Managers of professional sports with 3 or more years of experience in 2007, the lowest ranking of any General Manager in Major League Baseball.Bill Bavasi was ranked as 22nd out of 30 general managers for the MLB in 2004