This article is part of our Rankings & Tiers series, an evaluation across sport about the key players, front offices, teams, franchises and much more.

The general manager tilted his head toward the sky, to the sun beaming down on the Cactus League one morning last month. In his head, he was flipping through the majors’ other 29 teams, trying to think of the five front offices that do the job best. In a competitive field like Major League Baseball, admiration has a synonym.

“I think of this list as: ‘Who annoys me the most?’” he said.

For the second year in a row, the sun shines brightest on the Los Angeles Dodgers, who harness that power to operate at peak capacity in every sector. They’re extremely well-funded, of course, but so annoyingly well-run that their peers can’t identify a weakness.

“In some ways it’s hard to pick anyone but the Dodgers, right?” said one American League executive. “They are operating as well and as consistently across all areas of acquisition and development and performance as any team, I think, in modern history.”

As we did last year, The Athletic polled 40 of the top decision-makers from across the sport, asking each to rank the top five front offices in baseball, though they could not vote for their own team. We assigned a point value to each position — 10 points for first place, seven points for second place, five points for third, three points for fourth and one point for fifth – and offered anonymity in exchange for unvarnished insights into how their rivals do it.

And while the Dodgers were the clear winner overall, five voters left them off their ballots entirely, usually to highlight the greater degree of difficulty other teams face.

“I respect the hell out of Andrew Friedman and Brian Cashman,” one team’s baseball operations president said, referring to the top officials for the Dodgers and Yankees. “Andrew’s a Hall of Famer and I think Cash is, too. But in the end, they have advantages a lot of teams don’t. The teams I most admire are the ones like Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Milwaukee.”

All but two ballots included some combination of the Rays, Guardians and Brewers, the industry’s low-payroll darlings. Cleveland and Milwaukee have reached the postseason in six of the last 10 years, and Tampa Bay five times.

“When I hire people, where do I want to interview people from?” one AL executive said. “It’s Milwaukee, Tampa and Cleveland.”

Then again, for all of their regular-season success, it’s been generations since Cleveland held a baseball victory parade and Milwaukee and Tampa Bay have never won a title. It’s only fitting that the team that did it most recently is the one that tops the list.

The top 10

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers pulled even further ahead of the pack after their second championship in five seasons, collecting nearly three times as many first-place votes as any other team. In a decade on the job, Friedman has constructed a full-service, high-efficiency empire that is the envy of the industry.

“They’re a behemoth, but also a behemoth built brick by brick for a long time by Andrew,” said an NL general manager. “You don’t just become a behemoth without doing 100 extraordinary things to win all the time, build players’ value and build the team in different ways. Now they have the platform to do seemingly whatever they want.”

For a while, the Dodgers’ roster was clearly influenced by Rays methodology, specifically in how they sought platoon advantages and avoided major long-term commitments. That’s evolved in the last five years, as the Dodgers have mastered big moves, too, importing three players – Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani – who’d won MVPs elsewhere but were still in their primes.

All the while, they’ve continued to win on the margins. It’s “Moneyball” with money, just as rival teams feared in October 2014 when Friedman left Tampa Bay for Los Angeles.

“They manage their roster so well,” said an AL GM. “Sometimes it feels like they have 60 guys on the 40-man roster. I don’t know how they do it. It’s not just that they have money, but I think they’re constantly making good decisions. I know people love to criticize them, but they’re not breaking any rules. If any of us were in the same position they’re in, we’d do the same thing.”

One NL executive also gave the Dodgers his first-place vote, lauding them for finding new and better ways to execute every aspect of baseball operations. But he added an important caveat.

“The only thing I would say is, they’ve almost reached a point, from a financial perspective, of having an unfair advantage over everybody else in everything they do,” he said. “So I’m not sure that if you took some other people and put them there, they couldn’t be just as efficient. Because they just can do everything. And I don’t think in my career I’ve ever seen anybody with such a (financial) advantage, compared to others, as what the Dodgers have right now.”

That imbalance – real or perceived – is clearly an issue among the 29 other owners as they strategize for the next collective bargaining agreement, which would begin in 2027. But the foundation of the Dodgers’ success is the same as it was in Brooklyn: an ever-flowing pipeline of homegrown talent, and the many options for team-building that come with it.

“The Rays and Guardians – it’s understandable why their farm system is healthy, because they trade players before they mature,” said one AL executive. “But the Dodgers don’t do that every time. They keep players and still develop players. That’s more obvious every year. They’re not just competing for the highest end major-league talent, but they’re doing that certainly because they have a healthy farm system, too. That’s the deadliest combo.”

2. Tampa Bay Rays

When you talk trade with the Rays, said a top AL executive, understand this: They’ve done their research and won’t deviate from their target. Here’s how a typical negotiation might go.

Rays: “OK, this is the guy we like.”

Other team: “Well, what about this guy instead of that guy?”

Rays: “Nope. That’s the guy. Can we give you more for that guy?”

“That’s their thing,” the exec said. “I like dealing with them because they’re very clear on what they want to do.”

The Rays’ evaluators are equally decisive about their own players – at all levels – with a keen sense of how and when they’ll fit into the trade market.

“They realize the value of a player is really high early in their minor-league careers and they make a very quick decision on whether or not that guy is going to actually move through the system or not,” one AL GM said. “And the second they think he’s not going to, they move him. They stick to their guns. They don’t waver from how they make those decisions. So there’s a lot of continuity in what they do, and I think they’ve got a really good manager (Kevin Cash) who understands how his front office works.”

Their ever-churning roster model works, one NL official said, because of the “cohesion” and trust throughout the organization. Cash is in his 11th season as manager, and pitching coach Kyle Snyder and hitting coach Chad Mottola have worked together for eight seasons now; no other team has had the same people in those roles for that long.

And while the Rays have long been known for research and development, Erik Neander and his staff apply the data with sensitivity and feel.

“To me, what stands out most is they combine real objectivity and innovation with humanity,” said one NL GM, speaking of both the Rays and Guardians, who shared his first-place vote. “They are able to be really objective and innovate all the time but do it in a way that understands it’s human beings on the field doing the work.”

3. Milwaukee Brewers

It’s not just that the Brewers do more with less. It’s the fact that the big spenders keep poaching their leaders, yet Milwaukee keeps right on winning. Owner Mark Attanasio lost GM David Stearns to the Mets and manager Craig Counsell to the Cubs, but recognized there was no overhaul needed. Instead of hiring from the outside, he promoted Matt Arnold and Pat Murphy.

“To not miss a beat, I think says a lot about the organization,” said one AL GM. “The organization’s culture has carried itself.”

Sometimes the Brewers hold onto stars until they hit free agency, as they did with Willy Adames. Sometimes they trade them before they get there, as they did with Corbin Burnes. Whatever choice they make, it’s usually right: They’ve reached the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, adapting their on-field style along the way.

“They went from trying to shoehorn a bunch of guys who hit for power and didn’t have a defensive position and winning that way,” said one NL vice president, “to now being like the most athletic team on the field and winning that way.”

One GM praised Arnold and his staff for “coming up with unusual combinations of players that are just good together.” To do that, the Brewers often trade for players who can help the big-league club keep winning, instead of stocking the low minors in hopes of a brighter tomorrow.

Said the AL general manager who gave his first-place vote to Milwaukee: “The Brewers are the gold standard of a small market – even more so than Tampa.”

4. Cleveland Guardians

Total points: 104.5
First-place votes: 2.5
2024 rank: 4th ↔️, 101 points, 2 first-place votes
President of baseball operations: Chris Antonetti
Cleveland has long been considered a finishing school for executive talent, and the dean is Chris Antonetti, now in his 27th season in an organization known for its collaborative, innovative decisions.

“I think everyone in the industry respects the way Chris sees the world, his ability to cultivate staff and have people want to work for him, believe in what he’s doing and want to work in Cleveland,” said one AL GM. “He’s kind of unmatched in that regard. There’s a huge group of people who (have offers to go elsewhere and) don’t leave because they love what Chris has built and love working for him every day. I don’t think there’s any executive in the industry who has more respect from his peers than Chris in terms of what type of person he is.”

While ownership rarely gives Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff much to work with, they’ve managed to keep franchise cornerstone José Ramírez, top starter Tanner Bibee and star closer Emmanuel Clase with reasonable long-term deals.

“They really care about people there,” one NL GM said. “I think that allows them to compete and to hang on to a lot of talent, both on the field and off.”

5. New York Yankees

When talking about the Yankees, rival executives tend to preface their comments with two points: 1) yes, they spend a lot of money, but that doesn’t guarantee success and 2) Brian Cashman sure gets a lot of grief (that’s a clean word for it) that he doesn’t deserve.

“We’re talking about an elite level of success,” said an NL GM. “That doesn’t mean winning the World Series each year, but elite level of success for 30 years. I just think we lose sight of the fact that that is really hard to do.” Said another NL exec: “I don’t know why Brian Cashman has chosen to do this for so long, especially in that market. But a lot of us know he’s a gold standard for the profession.”

But it goes beyond Cashman, according to an AL GM: “They do front office analytics stuff really well. The player development department has consistently turned out interesting players they can use in trades to go get real dudes. They take guys in the middle rounds of the draft, they optimize the hell out of them, and then they spin a couple of them for guys like Devin Williams or Alex Verdugo. So they consistently have enough talent in the system to go fill their major-league needs every year.”

6. (tie) Atlanta Braves

After falling from 104 to 89 wins, the Braves also dropped three spots in these rankings from last year’s perch at No. 3. But they’re clearly still among the majors’ most envied front offices, led by the decisive and opportunistic Alex Anthopoulos.

“They’ve done a great job after the first round in getting guys like Spencer Strider and Michael Harris and they’ve done an unbelievable job of keeping guys with long-term extensions,” said one baseball operations president. “They’ve also accessed high-end players in trades, like (Matt) Olson and (Sean) Murphy, and extended them, too. And they’ve built such a good situation there that they’re now able to exist near the top of the payroll mountain.”

They also have a ring, noted an NL assistant GM, from a 2021 run fortified by a flurry of Anthopoulos trades that stand as a model for resourcefulness.

6. (tie) Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have raised their win total in each of Dave Dombrowski’s four seasons – from 82 to 87 to 90 to 95 – burnishing a resume his peers believe is Cooperstown-worthy. “No matter what market he’s in, he wins,” one NL GM said. “Think of how much the game has changed in the last 40 years… massive change, and he’s still had success everywhere he’s been.”

Another official noted that Dombrowski has managed to fortify his roster without giving up his best prospects: “Have they made some bad free-agent signings? Sure, I guess, one out of every five. But they don’t swing and miss that often and they never miss on trades. Ever. They evaluate their own players better than anyone. When was the last time Dave got burned on a young prospect? It just doesn’t happen.”

Dombrowski is certainly willing to deal future big leaguers, like Logan O’Hoppe (to the Angels for Brandon Marsh) and Ben Brown (to the Cubs for David Robertson) during the 2022 pennant race. But he knows elite talent when he has it: he’s holding tightly now to Aidan Miller and Andrew Painter.

8. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks actually had the most fifth-place votes of any team, but the Braves and Phillies had a bit more overall support. In any case, there’s widespread respect for Mike Hazen: We heard he’s “one of the most underrated front-office people in the game,” “extremely sharp, very intelligent, knows the game inside and out, contemporary” – and several folks noted that he hires good people around him.

Arizona has had some high-profile misses in free agency (Madison Bumgarner, Jordan Montgomery), and got little back in trades for Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke. But they’ve also made shrewd deals for Zac Gallen, Gabriel Moreno, AJ Puk and Eugenio Suarez, among others, and have signed several key pieces to long-term contracts before free agency (Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Justin Martinez, Geraldo Perdomo, Brandon Pfaadt).

As the Diamondbacks’ first-place voter explained: “I went (with) Arizona because Hazen doesn’t have the resources that L.A. does and what they’ve done is super impressive. It’s an underrated front office.”

9. Baltimore Orioles

After collecting three first-place votes and finishing fifth overall last season, the Orioles noticeably dropped this time. Rival executives admire the rebuild, but now that they’ve got their carefully constructed core, the Orioles must prove they can take the next step.

One year into his ownership, David Rubenstein has yet to make a significant signing. While the industry scurries to lock up young players into their free-agent years, the Orioles have signed none of their homegrown talent for the long term.

“Baltimore is one of the few teams excelling in both hitting and pitching development,” one official said. “The biggest question is whether Rubenstein and (Mike) Elias will push more aggressively to win a championship during this competitive window.”

10. San Diego Padres

Only three of our voters included the Padres at all, but their supporters made a compelling case for a team that’s made bold, decisive (and expensive) moves to become a consistent attraction in a baseball-only city.

Here’s the assessment of an AL general manager: “I know they’ve invested a lot in players, and I’ve heard people say it’s not sustainable, but they’re sustaining it right now. And the reason why is they’ve always done a good job of drafting. They do a very good job internationally. And they always have enough in their system to make a trade, and that’s something I admire.

“And then the other part of it I thought about was last year, when AJ was strapped and had to cut a lot of money, (he did that) and still gave the Dodgers a run for their money. And I think there’s a lot to be said for that…. But if you look at what he’s done and what it’s like there now compared to when he first got there, it’s just a different organization.”

Others receiving votes

11. New York Mets

The well-funded Mets, it seems, are in for a big jump. David Stearns’ peers think it’s inevitable. “The Mets will be in everyone’s top five when the version of this list comes out in two or three years — maybe less,” said one NL GM. Another called Stearns, hired away from Milwaukee in Sept. 2023, “one of the top three GMs in baseball.”

As an example, a third NL GM cited Stearns’ decision to maintain roster versatility by refusing to bring back veteran infielder Jose Iglesias, an immensely popular backup: “That’s just a smart decision. He would have locked himself in. He would not have been able to move guys around. He would have lost some random player that no one else is thinking about right now because you made the (Iglesias) decision. And the entire world wants him to make that decision and he still says no.”

12. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers’ players defied the front office’s expectations last summer with an unlikely sprint to the playoffs. But starter Jack Flaherty – traded away last July – returned in free agency, a sign that Detroit is becoming an inviting destination for players. “They’ve really made strides under Scott Harris,” said one president of baseball operations. “They’ve made smart moves and been aggressive when opportunities exist, and they haven’t tied themselves down with long-term contracts.”

13. (tie) Houston Astros

The Astros are coming off their seventh consecutive full-season division title, but after losing Alex Bregman and trading Kyle Tucker, they’re at a crossroads. Brown – owner Jim Crane’s third GM during this run – has done a good job propping up the big-league roster, but there could be trouble ahead. Houston placed 29th (ahead of only the Angels) on Keith Law’s farm system rankings, and could lose ace Framber Valdez to free agency this winter.

13. (tie) Texas Rangers

What do you make of an organization with seven losing records in the last eight seasons – but a World Series title as the only exception? Not much, to go by our 40 executives. Chris Young acted boldly during the 2023 pennant race to add the depth Texas needed to win it all, but only two voters included the Rangers on their ballots. Even so, a rival GM said that Young – a 13-year big leaguer with a Princeton degree – has created an enviable front-office dynamic. “Texas has a great blend of baseball people and data guys,” said a rival general manager, “and CY is a great leader.”

15. Minnesota Twins

The Twins have had four winning seasons and two full-season division titles since 2019 – exactly the same as the Guardians. Both teams also have relatively low payrolls (the Twins usually rank around 18th, the Guardians around 25th). But Cleveland has had more October success and a longer track record, making the Guardians a much more popular choice here. The Twins are also in a transition, with ownership exploring a sale and Falvey – who came to Minnesota from Cleveland in October 2016 – taking on added responsibilities as president of business operations.

16. Kansas City Royals

Somewhat surprisingly, the Royals showed up on just one ballot (with a third-place vote), despite their 30-game improvement in 2024. Then again, last year’s 86-76 campaign was Kansas City’s first winning season since its 2015 title. By locking up Bobby Witt Jr. for his prime and making shrewd pitching acquisitions (Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Lucas Erceg), the Royals should rise up this list with another playoff season.

17. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners have had four consecutive winning seasons for just the second time in their history; entering 2025, they were a combined 58 games over .500 in that span. It has resulted in just one playoff appearance, however, frustrating the only fan base never to experience a World Series. The team has a promising farm system, though, and Dipoto has excelled at acquiring and cultivating high-impact arms. Said one of the Mariners’ two voters: “They stay the course with their young starting pitchers and develop them appropriately.”

18. Boston Red Sox

After three years of inertia, the Red Sox have been busy since December in all the ways their fans expect: big trades, big signings, big-money extensions. But their operations are still a bit of a mystery, given their frequent leadership changes and department-wide turnover. Their lone voter praised them for strong amateur scouting and patience in offseason markets – but admitted to being puzzled about who, specifically, to cite: “Do you give credit to Chaim (Bloom) for the drafts and some of the trades to get them here? Do you give credit to Theo (Epstein) and Chaim and Dave Dombrowski and Breslow? They have all kind of contributed to this monster.”

19. (tie) Cincinnati Reds

The Reds got one fifth-place vote from an executive who said Krall and the Reds were “on the way up.” And that may be true, with 25-and-under homegrown pillars like Elly De La Cruz, Hunter Greene and Matt McLain leading the way. But the Reds still haven’t reached the playoffs in a full season since 2013, and another exec may have summed them up best: “I almost voted for Cincy, but as much as I like and respect that group, the results haven’t been there.”

19. (tie) Washington Nationals

The Nats won four division titles from 2012 to 2017, capping off their run with a title in 2019. But it’s been a slog ever since, with a major-league high 420 losses from 2020 to 2024. Some of this was by design; the Nats traded elite players with multiple years of control in an effort to maximize their return. So far, the results have been mixed: They got a lot for Juan Soto, but have less to show for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. The Nats hold the first pick in the draft this summer, and Rizzo – long known for his sharp scouting eye – has to score big.

Did not receive votes: (for the second season in a row, in all cases): Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays.

— The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon, Britt Ghiroli, and Jayson Stark contributed reporting.

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