The best GM in each club's history

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on each player's career with that franchise. The rosters and managers are set, and all that's left to decide are the general managers.

All-time players by team: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | LF | CF | RF | DH | RHPs | LHPs | Relievers | Managers

These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites. Here are the No. 1 general managers for every club, as chosen by MLB.com's beat reporters.

American League East

Blue Jays: Pat Gillick (1978-94)
Gillick led the Blue Jays to their only two World Series championships in club history, back-to-back titles that were the culmination of five division crowns and 11 consecutive winning seasons. The underrated Blue Jays teams of the 1980s fell just short despite their incredible talent, leading Gillick and the Blue Jays’ front office to make a series of moves that set the club on track for their success in 1992 and '93. His deal to acquire Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter from the Padres stands atop the list, but the Blue Jays also did very well in other deals around that time, including the additions of Juan Guzman from the Dodgers and Devon White from the Angels. There were also timely free agent signings, such as Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor and Dave Stewart, and in-season trade acquisitions to power their repeat in '93, like Rickey Henderson and Tony Fernandez. Gillick went on to further success with the Orioles, Mariners and Phillies, where he won a third ring, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. More >

Orioles: Harry Dalton (1965-71)
The principal architect of the Orioles’ dynasty of the late 1960s and early '70s, Dalton took the reins from Lee MacPhail in '66 and immediately executed one of baseball’s biggest heists, acquiring future Hall of Famer Frank Robinson from the Reds. What followed was the most successful stretch of Orioles history, a golden age that had Dalton’s fingerprints all over it. Working his way up the front office chain, Dalton led the Orioles in their heyday, winning four AL pennants and two World Series championships during his tenure. Dalton hired Earl Weaver, brought in youngsters like Bobby Grich and Don Baylor, and acquired Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson and Don Buford via trade. Dalton was also responsible in a roundabout way for Jim Palmer, who was developed in Dalton’s farm system, and he cultivated a new generation of front office talent, including future Hall of Fame executive John Schuerholz. More >

Rays: Andrew Friedman (2005-14)
Friedman’s ability to change the culture, establish analytics as a keystone and construct multiple winning teams during his tenure clearly sets him apart in the conversation for Tampa Bay’s top GM. It took some time, but he was slowly able to build a competitive team. In June 2006, Friedman and the Rays selected Evan Longoria with the third overall pick in the Draft, followed by Alex Cobb in the fourth round and Desmond Jennings in the 10th round. Just a few weeks later, Friedman executed a batch of successful trades, acquiring J.P. Howell, Dioner Navarro and Ben Zobrist. Friedman continued to build the Rays’ roster in 2007, signing Akinori Iwamura from Japan and taking a chance on Carlos Peña on a Minor League deal. Later that year, Friedman drafted David Price with the No. 1 pick, took Matt Moore in the fourth round and acquired relievers Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler via trades. During his nine years with the Rays, Friedman picked up 10 players (via the Draft, trades or free-agent signings) who made their first All-Star team with Tampa Bay. More >

Red Sox: Theo Epstein (2003-11)
The Red Sox took a gamble by appointing Epstein as the youngest general manager in baseball history at the age of 28. It was a move that paid off in a huge way, as Epstein backed up his goal of turning the franchise into a scouting and player development machine and made some big acquisitions (Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke) that led to a curse-busting World Series championship in 2004. A wave of talent from the farm system -- including Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon -- helped the team win another title in 2007. Epstein was never afraid to be bold, and Boston made it to the AL Championship Series four times in his nine seasons while qualifying for the playoffs six times. Epstein only added to his legacy when he went to the Cubs and built that team into a champion in 2016 -- their first title since 1908. More >

Yankees: Ed Barrow (1920-45)
The Yankees might never have earned their mighty reputation if not for Barrow, whose aggressive and bold tactics behind the scenes helped to orchestrate the dynasties that fitted Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs, Joe DiMaggio, Tony Lazzeri, Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez for pinstripes – and, later, resulted in their enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Barrow eventually joined those all-time greats in Cooperstown’s hallowed hallways, honored for the striking trades and purchases that resulted in 14 AL pennants and 10 World Series championships during his quarter century in the front office, including five sweeps of the Fall Classic. Barrow was the driving force behind the completion of the original Yankee Stadium and established Gehrig’s No. 4 as the first retired number in baseball history. He is also credited with permitting fans to keep foul balls and pioneered the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner" before each game. More >

AL Central

Indians: Chris Antonetti (2011-2015)
It's hard to rank Antonetti’s contributions to the Indians solely as a general manager, as he’s continued to play a large role in the club’s daily decisions in his current position as the president of baseball operations. But during his time as the Tribe’s GM, he made a significant impact, including helping lock in current manager Terry Francona, who has gone on to lead them to the best record in the AL (638-494) in the seven years since his arrival. In 2013, Antonetti swung a three-team deal that sent Lars Anderson and Tony Sipp to the D-backs and Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Donald to the Reds for Trevor Bauer and Bryan Shaw. In 2014, he shipped Vinnie Pestano to the Angels for Minor Leaguer Mike Clevinger. Antonetti was at the helm for a handful of big-name draft picks, including Francisco Lindor in 2011. More >

Royals: Dayton Moore (2006-present)
Moore took over an organization in 2006 that was clearly one of the worst in all of professional sports and managed to change the culture. He convinced then-owner David Glass to invest money in amateur scouting, and the Royals eventually built one of the best farm systems in the game by 2011. Under Moore's stewardship, Kansas City drafted Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Greg Holland and Danny Duffy and signed Salvador Perez, Kelvin Herrera and Yordano Ventura on the international market. Moore's incredible offseason in 2014 landed free agents Edinson Vólquez, Kendrys Morales, Chris Young, Ryan Madson and Alex Rios, and his trades for Lorenzo Cain, Wade Davis, Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist also were instrumental in bringing the '15 World Series championship to Kansas City. More >

Tigers: Jim Campbell (1962-83)
Campbell built the 1968 World Series championship club and put the pieces together for another title in '84 before handing the GM reigns to Bill Lajoie. Campbell picked up Denny McLain off waivers from the White Sox in 1963, saw him blossom into a 30-game winner and back-to-back Cy Young Award-winning hurler, then traded McLain after his controversial 1970 season for 20-game winner Joe Coleman, All-Star shortstop Ed Brinkman and Gold Glove third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez. Just as important, Campbell and his scouts put together Draft classes that formed the core for Detroit’s next championship club, including Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish and Dan Petry. Campbell’s move to bring in manager Sparky Anderson in the middle of the 1979 season, shortly after his departure from the Reds, provided the leader to mold that group of talented players into a winning club. More >

Twins: Andy MacPhail (1986-94)
It was a rather surprising move when the Twins handed MacPhail the reins in 1986. In his early 30s, he became the youngest GM in baseball during an era when age and experience ruled supreme -- and MacPhail didn't have much of either. Much like the Twins took a chance on MacPhail, he and the organization also took a chance on MacPhail's first managerial hire: 35-year-old Tom Kelly, who arrived with a similar dearth of experience. Led by MacPhail and Kelly, the Twins won the only World Series championships in club history, in 1987 and '91. More >

White Sox: Ken Williams (2001-12)
Williams became the first Black general manager in Chicago sports history and the third in Major League history in 2001, following Bill Lucas (Atlanta, 1979) and Bob Watson (Houston '94-95, Yankees, '96-97). The White Sox 88-year World Series title drought came to an end in Williams’ fifth year, via a 99-win regular season and an 11-1 postseason run. Ozzie Guillen was the manager for that team, hired following a spirited interview with Williams. This title run began in 2004 with key acquisitions made by Williams, including Freddy Garcia from the Mariners and José Contreras from the Yankees. He also added designated hitter Carl Everett in a July 2003 trade with the Expos. Jermaine Dye, Dustin Hermanson, Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, A.J. Pierzynski, Tadahito Iguchi and Pablo Ozuna arrived via free agency in the offseason prior to 2005, while Bobby Jenks was claimed off waivers and Scott Podsednik and Luis Vizcaino were brought over from the Brewers in a trade for Carlos Lee. More >

AL West

Angels: Bill Stoneman (1999-2007)
The Angels have had 10 general managers since their inception in 1960, but only Bill Stoneman has been the architect of a World Series winner. Stoneman served as the club’s GM from 1999-2007, with the Angels making the postseason four times during his tenure, including winning the 2002 World Series. More >

Astros: Jeff Luhnow (2011-20)
The only general manager in franchise history to win a World Series, Luhnow was hired from the Cardinals after the 2011 season and promptly began one of the biggest rebuilding projects in baseball history. Luhnow, through a flurry of trades, stripped down the big league roster over the next few years in an effort to rebuild the farm system. The Astros lost at least 100 games in three consecutive seasons (2011-13) before reaching the playoffs in '15 and eventually winning the '17 World Series behind a homegrown roster that included Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers Jr.

Athletics: Sandy Alderson (1983-98)
Making Draft picks like Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, combined with savvy free-agent signings like Dave Stewart and trades for Dennis Eckersley, Bob Welch and Rickey Henderson led to Alderson building a powerhouse in Oakland. But his greatest contribution may have been the introduction of more advanced analytics as a means to evaluate players, breaking the mold of the traditional GM to pave the way for the many analytics-driven front offices that dominate today’s game, including the one now led by Alderson's successor in Oakland, Billy Beane. Under Alderson, the A’s won three straight AL pennants from 1988-90, including a World Series title in ‘89 after sweeping the Giants. More >

Mariners: Pat Gillick (2000-03)
Gillick spent only four seasons with the Mariners, but there’s no arguing his impact as he engineered a 116-win season in 2001 even after being forced to trade Ken Griffey Jr. four months after his arrival and then losing Alex Rodriguez in free agency a year later. Gillick turned out to have the magic touch with the Mariners, using the money freed up by those departing superstars to form a club that tied the Major League record for most victories in a season. All four of Gillick’s Seattle teams posted winning records and the Mariners reached the AL Championship Series in both 2000 and '01. More >

Rangers: Jon Daniels (2005-present)
This will be the Rangers' 49th season in Arlington and three general managers -- Tom Grieve, Doug Melvin and Daniels -- have been in charge a combined 32 years. Daniels has had the longest run and the most success, leading Texas to the World Series in 2010 and ‘11 after acquiring players like Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, David Murphy, Adrián Beltré, Elvis Adrus, Mike Napoli, Colby Lewis, Alexi Ogando, Matt Harrison, Cliff Lee and Neftalí Feliz, among others. More >

National League East

Braves: John Schuerholz (1990-2007)
After initially declining interest in becoming the Braves’ GM after the 1990 season, Schuerholz called back three days later to say he felt he had made a mistake. After former team president Stan Kasten said, “I know you did,” he gave the job to Schuerholz, who would guide the Braves to 14 consecutive division titles, five NL pennants and one World Series title from 1991-2007. More >

Marlins: Dave Dombrowski (1992-2001)
Named executive vice president and general manager on Sept. 18, 1991, a 35-year-old Dombrowski -- the youngest GM in the Majors at the time -- cemented the groundwork for the expansion Marlins, which won a title in the organization’s fifth season in 1997. Though he was gone by the time the club won its second title in 2003, Dombrowski had helped lay the foundation for that club by signing international free agent Miguel Cabrera and drafting Josh Beckett in 1999. More >

Mets: Frank Cashen (1980-91)
When Cashen took over in 1980, the Mets still had not recovered from the losses of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack, which had left a powerhouse pitching staff in tatters. Given the benefit of five consecutive top-5 Draft picks, including two No. 1 overall selections, Cashen quickly bolstered the roster with the selections of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. Cashen then supplemented that core with trade acquisitions including Kevin Mitchell, Bob Ojeda, Ron Darling, Howard Johnson and Sid Fernandez, plus future co-captains Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter. That group led the Mets to their second World Series championship in 1986. Two years later, they won 100 games and reached the NLCS again. Cashen entered the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010, and no other club GM has come close to matching his success in 12 years on the job. More >

Nationals: Mike Rizzo (2009-present)
Thirteen years after joining the Nationals' organization, Rizzo achieved a general manager's ultimate goal last season, leading the club to its first World Series championship. Rizzo was the Lerner family’s first hire in 2006, brought on as the assistant GM. He began acting as GM early in the ‘09 season, and he has been promoted to president of baseball operations, as well. Washington is 938-843 since Rizzo began his GM duties in ‘09 -- the sixth-best record in baseball over the past 11 seasons. Additionally, the Nationals have posted winning records in eight straight seasons. Some of Rizzo's memorable transactions as GM include signing Ryan Zimmerman to a six-year contract extension, inking Max Scherzer to a seven-year deal, trading for postseason hero Howie Kendrick and keeping Stephen Strasburg in a Nats uniform with a record-setting, seven-year contract. Rizzo also has had an eye with key Draft picks, selecting Strasburg, Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon, while signing international prospects Victor Robles and Juan Soto. More >

Phillies: Paul Owens (1972-84)
The Phillies won only two pennants in 88 years before Owens became the club's general manager in June 1972. Prior to that, he served as Philadelphia's farm director, helping to draft, sign and develop players like Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone and Dick Ruthven. As GM, Owens acquired Tug McGraw, Garry Maddox, Bake McBride, Pete Rose and Manny Trillo, among others, during the run. The Phils won three consecutive NL East titles from 1976-78 before winning the '80 World Series. More >

NL Central

Brewers: Harry Dalton 1977-91
In Dalton’s first five seasons as GM from 1978-82, the Orioles were the only team in baseball with more regular-season victories than the Brewers, who made their first two postseason appearances in '81 and ‘82, including a trip to the ‘82 World Series. Dalton was named the '82 Executive of the Year, and the Brewers won Baseball America's Organization of the Year honors in three straight seasons from '85-87. Dalton led Milwaukee to winning seasons in nine of his 14 seasons as the club's GM. More >

Cardinals: Branch Rickey (1919-42)
Before he was helping break down barriers by signing Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers, Rickey was renovating baseball with the Cardinals. As the team’s first general manager, the Hall of Fame executive turned a franchise that had just four winning seasons from 1900-20 into the most successful NL club of the 20th century. Rickey invented the farm system, and 14 of the players on the '26 World Series-winning team -- the Cardinals' first title -- came from his system. In '42, the Cardinals won 106 games and the last of their four World Series titles under Rickey with a roster that featured only two players who had not come from the farm system. Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Dizzy Dean, Red Schoendienst and Jim Bottomley were all products of Ricky’s innovation. When he left for Brooklyn in 1943, Rickey had four World Series titles with the Cardinals. He also left behind a culture of continued success. More >

Cubs: Theo Epstein (2011-present)
After inheriting a last-place franchise with a depleted farm system, Epstein went to work on constructing a core of position players through the Draft (Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber, among others), key trades (Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta and more) and free agency (Jon Lester and Ben Zobrist). Epstein's efforts helped build the 2016 World Series team that brought the club its first triumph since 1908. Under Epstein, the Cubs reached the playoffs each season from 2015-18 and played at least into the NLCS three times. Now, Epstein is trying to balance sustaining the current contention window with planning for the future of the franchise. More >

Pirates: Joe L. Brown (1956-76, ‘85)
Brown succeeded Branch Rickey as Pittsburgh’s general manager after the 1955 season, inheriting a team with talent on the rise despite four consecutive last-place finishes in the NL. By the end of Brown's tenure following the '76 season, he had led the Pirates to two World Series victories ('60 and ‘71) and five NL East titles from 1970-75, while also laying the foundation for the club’s '79 championship team by building up a strong farm system. More >

Reds: Bob Howsam (1967-78, 1983-85)
Credited as the architect of the Big Red Machine dynasty in the 1970s, Howsam was responsible for hiring manager Sparky Anderson in ’70 and for making some superb trades that helped make the team perennial playoff contenders -- including the acquisitions of Joe Morgan, Cesar Geronimo, George Foster and Tom Seaver. He also dealt catcher Johnny Edwards before the ’68 season to clear a starting lineup spot for a young prospect named Johnny Bench. Cincinnati went to four World Series during Howsam's tenure and won back-to-back titles in '75 and ’76. More >

NL West

D-backs: Joe Garagiola Jr. (1995-2005)
Garagiola had a hand in helping bring Major League Baseball to Arizona when he recruited Jerry Colangelo to lead the state’s efforts. Named by Colangelo as the team’s first GM, Garagiola built a team that became the fastest expansion franchise to win 100 games, which they accomplished in their second season (1999) and the quickest to win a World Series, doing so in just their fourth season in 2001. Garagiola signed free-agent pitcher Randy Johnson to a four-year contract prior to the '99 season and the "Big Unit" rewarded Garagiola with four straight NL Cy Young Awards to begin his D-backs tenure. Garagiola also acquired Curt Schilling from the Phillies just prior to the 2000 Trade Deadline, but his best trade came when he dealt young outfielder Karim Garcia to the Tigers in exchange for Luis Gonzalez in December 1998. More >

Dodgers: Branch Rickey (1942-1950)
Rickey had already made an impact by winning four World Series titles with the Cardinals before coming to the Dodgers in 1943. He brought with him the innovations that put the Dodgers on a trajectory toward dominance -- a deep “feeder” (or farm system), cutting-edge equipment, technology and processes, fledgling statistical analysis and, of course, a determination to shatter the sport’s color barrier. Part-owner, president and general manager at the time, Rickey lost a power struggle with Walter O’Malley in 1950 and joined the Pirates. Rickey never won a World Series with the Dodgers, but they wouldn’t have had Jackie Robinson and the "Boys of Summer" without him. Buzzie Bavasi, Al Campanis and Walt Alston were all proteges of Rickey. More >

Giants: Brian Sabean, 1996-2014
Sabean presided over the most successful era in Giants history, constructing the teams that captured three World Series championships, four National League pennants, five NL West titles and two NL Wild Card berths. The Giants posted an overall record of 1,556-1,358-1 (.534) under Sabean, who was named Baseball America’s Executive of the Year in 2003 and '12. During Sabean’s 18-year stretch as general manager, the Giants joined the Cardinals and the Yankees as the only Major League clubs to make four or more World Series appearances. More >

Padres: Kevin Towers (1995-2008)
There's not much separating Towers and Jack McKeon atop the Padres' list, and both took on similar free-wheeling personas in the lead chair of the Padres' front office. Towers -- known as "the gunslinger" -- even took centerstage on the team's 2000 media guide with an old west theme that featured Towers in full Cowboy gear with a hand on a pistol. He lived up to that reputation, helping send the Padres to four playoff berths. Towers' most impactful move was his trade for Kevin Brown ahead of the 1998 season, but he also landed Greg Vaughn, Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell in the types of shrewd deals that came to define his tenure. More >

Rockies: Bob Gebhard (1991-99)
The Rockies have officially had just three general managers -- Gebhard, Dan O’Dowd (1999-2014) and Jeff Bridich (2014-present) -- although the end of O’Dowd’s term featured an avant garde job share with Bill Geivett. O’Dowd and Bridich each can claim two postseason trips to Gebhard’s one, but Gebhard gets the nod here for succeeding early under unique circumstances. Before the Rockies began play in 1993, expansion teams were expected to suffer for at least five seasons, but from the hiring of original manager Don Baylor to some shrewd drafting and trading to get Vinny Castilla and Dante Bichette on the day of the expansion Draft to parlaying free agency into eventual Hall of Famer Larry Walker, Gebhard had the Rockies rolling quickly. When they made the playoffs in their third year on the field, 1995, it was the quickest ever for an expansion team. More >