A’s name Taylor Smith President of Baseball Operations as franchise prepares for Las Vegas move

The Athletics have promoted Taylor Smith to lead their baseball strategy and operations, giving the club a central executive for player evaluation and development as it charts its path toward a 2028 relocation.

By The Apex Times Newsroom1 min readAI-assisted Apex article

The Oakland Athletics have named Taylor Smith President of Baseball Operations, placing him in charge of the club’s baseball strategy and day-to-day direction as the team prepares for its move to Las Vegas in 2028, the MLB club announced on Monday.

Smith, 31, joins the A’s after two seasons with the Boston Red Sox, where he served as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager. Prior to Boston, he spent seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, building a career that centered on baseball research and development, including analytics and technology, and later player valuation modeling.

In his new role, Smith will oversee baseball research and development efforts, and is expected to coordinate with player acquisition, player development, and other internal baseball operations groups. The A’s also framed his hiring as aligned with “measuring player performance and player development,” connecting the appointment to the franchise’s history of analytical team building.

The A’s said they plan to lean on a “strong core” of returning position players, citing Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, Lawrence Butler, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson, and Henry Bolte, along with talent they described as coming from their farm system.

Why It Matters

This consolidates baseball decision-making under a single lead executive as the A’s transition from their current home base toward their long-term Las Vegas timeline.
Smith’s background in player valuation modeling and research and development suggests the club intends to emphasize performance measurement and player development systems.
The front-office appointment can shape how the A’s evaluate amateur talent and internal player development priorities in future roster-building cycles.
With the club pointing to a group of returning players, the hire indicates an effort to connect strategy with the current core while the franchise pivots toward a new era.

Sources

Key Facts

The Athletics named Taylor Smith President of Baseball Operations.
The club said the job places Smith in charge of the Athletics’ baseball strategy and operations.
Smith spent the last two seasons with the Boston Red Sox as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager.
Before Boston, Smith worked seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, including research and development and predictive/valuation modeling responsibilities.
The A’s said Smith’s leadership will cover baseball research and development, including analytics, sciences, systems and technology, and collaboration across player acquisition and development groups.
The A’s announcement tied the appointment to planning for the franchise’s 2028 move to Las Vegas.