On the heels of a fourth-place finish and in the midst of a managerial search, the Dodgers are expected to fire General Manager Paul DePodesta, perhaps as early as this weekend, highly placed sources in the organization said Friday.
Barring a change of heart by Frank McCourt, all that is left is for the Dodger owner to meet with DePodesta and make an announcement. DePodesta did not speak with McCourt as of late Friday, although the owner and his wife, team President Jamie McCourt, were in their offices into the early evening.
Neither DePodesta nor McCourt would comment. Dodger spokeswoman Camille Johnston said she could not confirm that DePodesta, who has three years remaining on his contract, would be fired. However, a conference call DePodesta had scheduled with reporters to discuss the managerial search was canceled and McCourt postponed a dinner with Terry Collins, who had been considered the leading candidate.
DePodesta had philosophical differences with former manager Jim Tracy, and the new hire was to be a final piece in transforming the Dodgers into his vision. DePodesta presided over organizational meetings for three days this week, giving lengthy reports to scouts about every player on the major league roster.
But he did not meet with managerial candidate Orel Hershiser on Tuesday. Hershiser, the Texas Ranger pitching coach and former Dodger, instead had a lengthy dinner with McCourt and senior advisor Tom Lasorda.
DePodesta's departure would bring an abrupt close to a turbulent chapter in Dodger history characterized by complex statistical analysis and Ivy League credentials.
A Harvard graduate, DePodesta was only 31 when McCourt hired him shortly after purchasing the team in January 2004. DePodesta had been the assistant general manager of the Oakland Athletics, a small-market team that thrived in part because of innovative roster building. Athletic General Manager Billy Beane declined an invitation to be interviewed then, and recommended his protege.
The Dodgers flourished in DePodesta's first season, winning the National League West Division title, making their first postseason appearance since 1996 and winning their first playoff game since 1988. But DePodesta stunned Dodger fans and many players by trading popular catcher Paul Lo Duca and two other players at midseason, providing the first hint that he was less concerned with team chemistry than assembling the pieces he believed necessary to win.
