Logan White leaving for the southern pastures of San Diego sure has been a shock to the system. He had been a wizard in the scouting front office and a legend in the minds of prospect-minded Dodger fans. So, his departure has been seen as a huge loss for the franchise.
As I'm sure most had hoped (myself included), the combination of the Dodgers newest hire Andrew Friendman and Logan White working together appeared to be a fantastic 1-2 punch. After all, continuity within the Dodger ranks was a major theme for Friendman during his recent press conference and one would think that this meant he wanted to retain the experience and know-how of a person like Logan White.
Unfortunately, it takes two to tango and we are left wondering what drove Logan away.
Was it a potentially diminishing role within the club? Did Logan find the prospect of a two headed dragon at the scouting helm unappealing? Was the talk of continuity by Friendman just a smoke screen, and he was actually pushed out? Or did Logan just want to experience something different - a new challenge maybe?
Only Logan White knows the true answer. Thankfully, though, through the wonder of twitter we get a slight glimpse at his frame of mind from some established reporters. Check out what has been shared online since White's announced departure yesterday.
Dodger Talk host David Vassegh spoke with White and shared that personal relationships within the Padres franchise was a motivating factor:
Just spoke to Logan White...He said biggest reason he left for SD was relationship w/mentor Don Welke and friendship w/GM AJ Preller (cont)
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) October 28, 2014
This sentiment was echoed by OC Register reporter Bill Plunkett:
Talked to Logan White. Said move was about SD opportunity, relationships with Preller/Welke not concern over #Dodgers role under Friedman.
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 28, 2014
In fact, Plunkett goes further by commenting that a change in role with the Dodgers was not a major concern.
White said Friedman had assured him he would have role in restructured #Dodgers front office (though that role might have changed)
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 28, 2014
And that both Freidman and Kasten had been stand-up throughout this process, via David Vassegh on twitter:
Welke is now VP of scouting ops for SD. He knew AJ when he worked for LAD..Logan also said Friedman and Kasten treated him "very classy"
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) October 28, 2014
Eric Stephen at True Blue LA on twitter likely got to the gist of the matter. Logan would have an expanding role with the Padres:
Padres say Logan White will oversee "organization’s professional scouting efforts & player acquisition at the Major & minor league level"
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) October 27, 2014
While at the same time, Andrew Friendman would have an opportunity to build the club without his interference. As Bill Plunkett noted, Friedman will now have a chance to make a huge mark on the Dodgers.
Andrew Friedman now has chance to remake #Dodgers front office his way with 3 hires -- GM, scouting director, player development director
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 28, 2014
Ultimately, I guess it was too much to believe that the dream team of White/Friedman could last. They would eventually butt heads (if they hadn't already), and I'm sure Logan understood that his capacity to exert influence had naturally diminished. This was Andrew Friedman's team now and he had every right to lead it in the direction that he saw fit. For better or worse, the Dodgers are no longer the club that existed just a couple of years ago. They are reborn and all we can do is hope that these changes to the front office lead to success in the future.
Pic at the very top via Ben Platt/LA Dodgers - June 2006
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