Athletics, Orioles hired their future and here's what each new boss must do first

Two MLB franchises. Two new architects. Same morning.

On Monday morning, the Athletics named Boston Red Sox senior vice president and assistant general manager Taylor Smith as their new president of baseball operations. Meanwhile, across the country, the Baltimore Orioles reportedly hired Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner as general manager, working with president of baseball operations Mike Elias. Both announcements landed on the same day, yet both men are walking into jobs that could not be more different … or more urgent.

Biggest task facing A's POBO Taylor Smith

Let's start with Smith because his job, on the surface, is harder.

He replaces David Forst, fired in August as the A's stumbled to a 64-98 final record. He takes over a franchise playing home games in Sacramento, waiting on a Las Vegas stadium that isn’t scheduled to open until 2028 and operating with one of MLB's smallest payrolls. Sam Fuld already said no to this job. That tells you everything about how the industry views it.

Smith's first decision is the only one that matters: what is this roster supposed to be when the doors open in Las Vegas? You don't get a honeymoon when the ballpark has a fixed opening date. Every move between now and 2028 must answer the question, "Does this player help win in Las Vegas?" If not, move him. 

The A's can't afford sentimentality or slow rebuilds. They need a core, a payroll plan and a pitching pipeline, in that order … and they need it before the concrete dries in their new stadium on the Strip.

Biggest task facing Orioles GM Jared Banner

Banner's job is different. It's not a rebuild, but rather a rescue.

Baltimore won 100 games in 2023. Three years later, it finished 79-82 and fourth in the American League East and is coming off back-to-back losing seasons. It spent $155 million on Pete Alonso last winter and still finished near the division's basement. 

The young core that was supposed to carry the franchise (Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, etc.) stagnated. That's likely why Elias went outside the organization for the first time since 2018, and that is why Banner's mandate is player development, coaching and performance.

Banner's first decision should be to figure out why the development machine broke. This is the same organization that produced Henderson's Rookie of the Year season and a 100-win team. The talent didn't evaporate, but something in the pipeline did. Banner made his name in player development in Boston, New York and Chicago, including a key role in the Pete Crow-Armstrong trade. If he can’t get Henderson and Holliday back to their ceilings, nothing else Elias does this winter matters.

Comparing the two hirings

So, which hire matters more? In the short term, it's Banner because the Orioles have a window, a payroll and a fan base that is running out of patience. But long term, it's Smith. If he gets the decisions for the Vegas era right, he builds something from nothing. If he gets it wrong, the A's are just a bad team in a shiny new building.

Two men with two different missions. The clock started for both of them this morning.