Could Stan Kroenke Steal the Dodgers' Brains?

What if the Angels' new owner targets Brandon Gomes or makes Andrew Friedman an offer he cannot refuse?

The Angels need new leadership. The Dodgers have plenty of it. And Stan Kroenke has billions of reasons to think BIG!

For years, the Los Angeles Angels have been the baseball equivalent of a Ferrari with a lawnmower engine. They had Mike Trout. They had Shohei Ohtani. They had an owner willing to spend money. And they had precious little to show for it.

Meanwhile, about 30 miles up the freeway, the Dodgers were busy building one of the most successful organizations in professional sports. Two franchises. Same metropolitan market. Two entirely different approaches to building a baseball team.

But now, something has changed. Stan Kroenke is buying the Angels... and Dodger fans might want to pay attention.

Kroenke is not some guy who made a few bucks selling used cars and decided owning a baseball team might be fun. He owns the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and Arsenal Football Club. He understands professional sports. He understands infrastructure. He understands the importance of hiring the right people and giving them the resources to succeed.

More importantly, he has the financial wherewithal to do practically anything he wants. The reported purchase price of the Angels is approximately $4 billion. That's not pocket change, even for Kroenke.

So, why would he invest that much money and then settle for an ordinary baseball executive What if he decides to hire the best? And what if the best is currently employed by the Los Angeles Dodgers?

Enter Brandon Gomes

The Angels need a new baseball operations leader. John Mozeliak is serving as interim GM, but his contract expires in December, and he has indicated that he intends to step aside when new leadership arrives. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has reportedly begun informal meetings with candidates, although the sale still requires MLB approval.

Now, consider Brandon Gomes. Gomes is currently the Dodgers' Executive Vice President and General Manager. He has worked alongside Andrew Friedman for years and has become increasingly involved in the day-to-day operation of the franchise. Gomes understands scouting, player development, analytics, roster construction, and the organizational philosophy that has made the Dodgers so successful.

He has been part of an organization that doesn't simply buy baseball players. It develops them, improves them, and frequently discovers value where other organizations see very little. In other words, he has been attending the Andrew Friedman School of Baseball Management for nearly a decade.

And he didn't just attend the classes. He helped teach some of them! Now imagine Stan Kroenke picking up the telephone.

"Brandon, how would you like to become President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Angels? You would have complete authority to build the organization, hire your own people, and create a sustainable winner. And you would have the financial resources to do it."

Would Gomes listen? You bet he would!

That doesn't mean he would leave. But becoming the top baseball executive of a Major League franchise, rather than remaining second in command behind Friedman, is the kind of opportunity ambitious executives spend their careers pursuing.

And Kroenke could offer him something else: A chance to build his own legacy. Not Andrew Friedman's legacy. Brandon Gomes' legacy.

But What If Kroenke Thinks Even Bigger?

Now we're going to venture into territory that might make some Dodger fans choke on their morning coffee. What if Kroenke doesn't want the student? What if he wants the professor?

Andrew Friedman took over the Dodgers' baseball operations in October 2014. Since then, the organization has become the standard against which practically every other Major League franchise measures itself. Friedman didn't accomplish that merely by spending Mark Walter's money. He built an organizational machine: Scouting. Analytics. Player development. International operations. Pitching development. Roster management. Financial flexibility.

Every component works with the others.

Certainly, Friedman has made mistakes. Some expensive ones, too. No general manager or president of baseball operations gets every decision right, but his body of work is extraordinary.

So what would it take to lure Friedman away from the Dodgers? More money? Maybe. But Friedman is already extraordinarily well compensated, and I doubt another few million dollars annually would be the deciding factor. A bigger title?

He's already President of Baseball Operations. Complete control? He seemingly has considerable authority with the Dodgers. So what could Kroenke offer that Mark Walter hasn't?

OWNERSHIP!

The Offer That Could Change Everything

Suppose Kroenke offered Friedman an ownership interest in the Angels, subject to MLB approval.

Not merely another lucrative executive contract. An actual stake in the franchise. For illustration, a 1% interest in a franchise valued at $4 billion represents $40 million in nominal equity value. A 2% stake represents $80 million. Of course, the actual economics would depend on vesting, restrictions, valuation, financing, and other contractual details, but you get the picture.

And suppose Kroenke paired that potential equity interest with complete authority to rebuild the Angels from the ground up: a new scouting department. New player-development philosophy. New international infrastructure. New analytics operation. A complete organizational transformation.

Friedman would have an opportunity to do something few baseball executives ever get to do and that is: Build a second successful franchise from the ground up, this time with a substantial personal financial interest in its future.

Would that interest him? I have no idea, and to be perfectly clear, I have seen no credible reporting that Kroenke has approached Friedman or Gomes, or offered either man anything. This is speculation. But it is speculation worth considering, because Kroenke didn't become a billionaire by failing to recognize the value of talented people.

The Dodgers Have a Problem They Might Not Realize They Have

For years, the Dodgers have enjoyed an enormous organizational advantage. They have Mark Walter's financial resources and Andrew Friedman's baseball intelligence. That's a pretty formidable combination.

But what happens when another extremely wealthy owner enters the same market and decides to replicate that formula? The Angels have a massive population base, significant commercial opportunities, and a fan base desperate for a reason to believe again. They also have a franchise that needs rebuilding.

And for the right executive, that can be enormously attractive. The Dodgers already have an established culture. The Angels would offer someone the chance to create one. There is a difference between maintaining an empire and building one. Some executives prefer the former. Others dream about the latter. I am not afraid to start a business from nothing... I did! My son would not, but he can run and grow an established business better than I can. Different people, different talents.

Could the Dodgers Lose Gomes?

I think this is the more realistic scenario: Gomes is relatively young, experienced, and has been groomed in one of baseball's most sophisticated organizations. He also understands that Friedman isn't likely to surrender control of the Dodgers' baseball operations anytime soon.

The ceiling for Gomes in Los Angeles may be precisely where he is today, at least as long as Friedman remains in charge. But with the Angels? He could be THE MAN!

The Angels wouldn't necessarily be asking him to take a lateral move. They could offer the top baseball job, with a mandate to build an entire organization. That is a significant distinction.

If Gomes were to leave, who would replace him? The Dodgers have a deep front office, including several highly regarded assistant general managers. But losing Gomes would still matter.

• Institutional knowledge matters.

• Relationships matter.

• Continuity matters.

And people who have worked together successfully for years aren't always easy to replace.

Could Friedman Actually Leave?

This is where things get more interesting. I don't believe Friedman is actively looking to leave the Dodgers. Why would he? He has an owner who supports him financially, a highly sophisticated organization, and a franchise that remains positioned to contend. But I also believe virtually everyone has a price... and that price isn't always measured in salary.

Sometimes it is measured in opportunity, authority, equity, or the chance to accomplish something nobody else has done. Friedman has already helped build one baseball powerhouse. Could he be tempted to build another?

And would Mark Walter counter with an ownership opportunity of his own? Now THAT would make for an interesting negotiation. There is another question, too.

Would Major League Baseball be comfortable with such an arrangement? Any actual ownership transfer would have to comply with MLB rules and receive the required approvals. But the possibility itself is worth considering.

Mark Walter Should Be Paying Attention

I am not suggesting that the Dodgers are about to lose Friedman or Gomes. I'm not predicting it. But I am suggesting that the landscape has changed. The Angels are no longer simply the other baseball team in Southern California operating under Arte Moreno. They are about to become part of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, a multibillion-dollar sports empire with experience operating championship organizations.

That should get everyone's attention, and if I were Mark Walter, I would want to make certain the executives who built the Dodgers' organizational advantage have compelling reasons to stay.

The Dodgers can replace a starting pitcher. They can replace an outfielder. They can replace a closer. Replacing the people who built the entire machine is a different proposition... and that brings us to the bigger picture.

A New Baseball War in Los Angeles?

For years, the Dodgers have dominated the Southern California baseball conversation. The Angels have been largely irrelevant in October, despite having employed two of the greatest players of their generation. But imagine an Angels organization run with the same sophistication as the Dodgers.

Imagine Kroenke investing heavily in scouting, development, facilities, technology, and player acquisition. Imagine the Angels becoming a destination for the best baseball minds in the sport. Imagine the Angels competing with the Dodgers not merely for free agents, but for the executives who identify, develop, and acquire those players.

That could become a much more consequential rivalry than anything that happens during the Freeway Series, and the beauty of it, at least from a baseball fan's perspective, is that competition generally forces organizations to improve. The Dodgers have been setting the standard. Now, someone with the financial resources to challenge that standard is moving into the neighborhood.

My Take

If I were Stan Kroenke, Brandon Gomes would absolutely be on my list.

And I would make a telephone call to Andrew Friedman, too.

Maybe Friedman would politely decline.

Maybe Gomes would decide his future remains with the Dodgers.

Maybe Kroenke already has someone else in mind.

But when you're spending approximately $4 billion to purchase a baseball franchise, why wouldn't you investigate every possibility? The Angels don't need another general manager who can merely assemble a roster. They need someone who can build an organization, and the Dodgers happen to employ two men who know a great deal about doing precisely that.

The Angels have spent years trying to beat the Dodgers on the baseball field.

What if their new owner decides to beat them in the front office first?

Now, THAT would be a Freeway Series worth watching!

What Say You?

Would Brandon Gomes leave the Dodgers to become President of Baseball Operations for the Angels?

Would Andrew Friedman consider leaving if Kroenke offered him a meaningful ownership stake?

And perhaps the most important question of all:

Should Mark Walter be worried about losing the architects of the Dodgers' success?

I think he should at least be paying attention.

What say you?