The Chicago Cubs on Friday named Carter Hawkins as their new general manager
Hawkins, 37 and most recently an assistant general manager with the Cleveland baseball club, had spent nearly 14 years in the organization. He originally joined the franchise as an advance scouting intern before working his way up the ladder on the scouting and player development side. He was named an assistant GM in November 2016, coincidentally just weeks after Cleveland lost to the Cubs in the World Series.
"I am thrilled to bring Carter into our organization," said Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer in a statement released by the team. "He has earned a fantastic reputation as a leader through hard work, open-mindedness, humility and intelligence. I enjoyed getting to know him throughout the interview process, and it quickly became clear that we share the same passion for team building. I look forward to partnering with him to build the next great Cubs team."
Hawkins' job will be to build the next Cubs team with competitive aspirations. Chicago traded away most of its core at the deadline, including franchise cornerstones Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez en route to a 71-91 record and a top-10 draft pick.
The Cubs have made waves about being active in free agency this winter. Here's what we wrote about that prospect back in September:
The Cubs should have the financial means to do as they please this winter. According to Cot's Contracts, they have less than $40 million in guaranteed money on the books for next season. That figure will increase once arbitration prizes are awarded to catcher Willson Contreras and outfielder Ian Happ, provided both remain with the organization, yet the Cubs fielded an Opening Day payroll of $147 million this season. Chicago wouldn't have to spend the whole difference to make multiple splashes this offseason.
The Cubs have not had an official general manager since last offseason, when team president Theo Epstein stepped away from the organization. Jed Hoyer was then elevated into Epstein's position, vacating his post as general manager. (Hoyer still ran the baseball operations department, rendering the lack of a GM less alarming than it appears.)
The Athletic reported last week that Hawkins was one of the finalists for the job, alongside Carlos Rodriguez (Rays), James Harris (Cleveland) and Jeremy Zoll (Twins).
