Andrew Friedman Wins Executive of the Year

Both MLB's awards season and the General Managers Meetings got off to predictable starts at a dinner at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort on Monday night:

For orchestrating one of the most remarkable success stories in the history of Major League Baseball, Andrew Friedman of the Tampa Bay Rays is The Sporting News' choice as Executive of the Year for 2008.

Friedman, executive vice president of baseball operations, made all the right moves for manager Joe Maddon as the Rays rose from last to first in the American League East, amazing insiders all year with their dynamic, consistent play. Their 97-65 record was the league's second best, behind the Angels' 100-62.

Friedman kept the young nucleus of his talented roster essentially intact while pulling off a major offseason deal with Minnesota that brought shortstop Jason Bartlett and starter Matt Garza to solidify the defense and the rotation. A role was found for Willy Aybar, whose play during the absence of third baseman Evan Longoria was vital down the stretch.

Next Wednesday, with significantly more fanfare than this, it will be announced that Joe Maddon won the AL Mananger of the Year award. But really, after watching Maddon's tactical struggles in October, is there any doubt that the majority of the credit should be assigned to the people who put the pieces in place, rather than Maddon himself?

Sure, Maddon deserves a lot more credit than someone like Chuck LaMar; the fact that it's impossible to quantify his impact on the clubhouse doesn't mean it should be ignored entirely. But it's worth remembering that despite who we all saw on TV all October, it's Tampa Bay's front office that was the main reason this team came together as quickly as it did, and Friedman and Co. are also the reason the Rays will continue to be contenders in the coming years.