Team Front Office

The people running the club, their record, and every move, dollar and roster spot.

Who Runs the Club

New to front offices? Read the explainer →

From the owner down to the dugout. Each job answers to the one above it.

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Track Record

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Roster & Pipeline

The players the front office has to work with: today's roster, who's hurt, and who's coming up.

Draft History top picks from the last five drafts

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This year's draft: picks, prospects and news →

Moves & Money

What the front office does with it: every roster move, and what the club is paying.

Front Office News

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Who sets the payroll?

The owner decides how much the club can spend, and the front office decides how to spend it. MLB has no salary cap, but many clubs treat the luxury tax line as one.

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President vs. GM

Most clubs now put a president of baseball operations above the GM. The president owns the long-term plan and the final call; the GM handles the daily dealmaking. Some clubs give one person both jobs.

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What a GM does

The GM builds the roster: trades, contracts and dozens of 40-man roster moves a season, drawing on the scouting, analytics and player development staffs.

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What the manager does

The manager runs the team on the field: lineups, pitching changes and the clubhouse. More and more of it is planned before the game with the front office's analysts.

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Player development

Draft picks, international signings and prospects from trades become big leaguers in the minor league system, with coaches, pitch and swing labs, and sports science.

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Scouting and analytics

Scouts judge players in person; analysts work from tracking data and models. Nearly every club blends the two, and the draft still leans hardest on scouts.

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The 40-man roster

Every player under a major league contract, and the only players who can play in the majors. 26 are active at a time. Adding a prospect protects him from the Rule 5 Draft.

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The injured list

A hurt player goes on the 10-day injured list (15 days for pitchers). The 60-day list also frees up his spot on the 40-man roster.

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Reading the moves

Most moves are routine: options to the minors, recalls and injured list stints. Designating a player for assignment takes him off the 40-man, and within a week he's traded, released or put on waivers.

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How salaries are set

Young players earn close to the minimum, reach arbitration after about three years in the majors and free agency after six. Payroll above the luxury tax threshold is taxed.

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A front office's year

Free agency and roster trimming after the World Series, the Winter Meetings and Rule 5 Draft in December, the draft in July and the trade deadline at the end of it.

Learn more in the Front Office Explainer →