The Athletics are looking for a new general manager after firing long-time GM David Frost in August. According to Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com, the Athletics were interested in former Twins president Derek Falvey for their GM role, but he declined to interview and instead joined the New York Mets' front office to work under his former Cleveland co-worker David Stearns.
Of note: Multiple sources have told me Derek Falvey turned down an interview for the A's job before joining the Mets' front office. https://t.co/HGTswELKPH
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) October 7, 2026
Falvey's title with the Mets is senior advisor to baseball operations. He would've been a higher-ranked executive if he had interviewed for the Athletics' GM role and earned the job.
It makes sense that Falvey decided to take a lower-level job with New York. The Mets are coming off a disappointing season, but owner Steve Cohen isn't afraid to spend big. This year, the Mets rank second in payroll at $286,745,821. The Dodgers rank first at $370,520,950.
Meanwhile, the Athletics rank 21st in payroll at $131,335,713. It's honestly surprising the Athletics outspent nine other teams, considering their history of low payrolls.
Ex-Twins Derek Falvey would have faced a tough task if the Athletics had hired him
The new general manager of the Athletics will face an extremely tough task. Athletics ownership likely won't give the new general manager much financial flexibility to spend on the roster, given the organization's history.
The Athletics finished the 2026 season with a poor 64-98 record. In the Athletics' defense, several key players, including Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker and others, suffered major injuries this year. The Athletics would have been much better if it weren't for poor injury luck. Still, the team probably wouldn't have made the playoffs even with fewer injuries.
The Athletics have a promising young offensive core, but the pitching is worrisome. This year, the Athletics ranked 29th in ERA (5.51) and WHIP (1.51). Only the Colorado Rockies had a worse ERA and WHIP. To be fair, Sutter Health Park, home of the Athletics, isn't a pitcher-friendly ballpark, but the club's pitching still needs plenty of work for the team to be competitive again.
The fact that Falvey received interest from the Athletics for their open GM job and he found a role with the Mets proves many around the league view the former Twins president as a bright baseball mind.
The Twins surprisingly parted ways with Falvey less than a month before this year's spring training. The shocking development happened after Tom Pohlad succeeded his younger brother Joe as the organization's designated control person and Minnesota fired manager Rocco Baldelli.
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