Dodgers Named Top MLB Front Office In Executive Poll, Rays Finish 2nd
A recent survey of 40 top baseball decision-makers has once again crowned the Los Angeles Dodgers as having the best front office in Major League Baseball, with President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman\'s group pulling even further ahead after winning their second championship in five seasons.
The anonymous poll, conducted by The Athletic, asked executives to rank the top-five front offices in baseball, excluding their own organizations. The Dodgers collected 23 first-place votes, nearly three times as many as any other team.
Under Friedman\'s decade of leadership, the Dodgers have constructed what one National League general manager called \"a behemoth built brick by brick.\" The organization has mastered both major acquisitions like Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani, while continuing to excel at player development and roster management.
\"They manage their roster so well,\" said an American League GM. \"Sometimes it feels like they have 60 guys on the 40-man roster. I don\'t know how they do it.\"
The Tampa Bay Rays finished second in the rankings with 8.5 first-place votes. Executives praised President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander\'s decisive approach to trades and the organization\'s cohesive structure that combines \"real objectivity and innovation with humanity.\"
The Milwaukee Brewers made the biggest jump among top teams, rising from sixth to third place despite losing both GM David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell. One AL general manager declared them \"the gold standard of a small market – even more so than Tampa.\"
The Cleveland Guardian ranked fourth, with executives highlighting Chris Antonetti\'s leadership and ability to retain talent both on the field and in the front office despite ownership rarely providing significant resources.
\"There\'s a huge group of people who don\'t leave because they love what Chris has built,\" noted one AL GM.
The New York Yankees rounded out the top five, with several executives defending Brian Cashman against his critics.
\"We\'re talking about an elite level of success for 30 years,\" said an NL GM. \"I just think we lose sight of the fact that that is really hard to do.\"
The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies tied for sixth place, followed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres completing the top 10. The Padres made the biggest leap into the rankings, going from unranked to tenth place with one executive praising AJ Preller\'s ability to maintain competitiveness despite financial constraints.
For the second straight year, a group of ten organizations received no votes: Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays.
\"I think of this list as: \'Who annoys me the most?\'\" one general manager said, explaining how he determined his rankings.
2025 The Athletic MLB Front Office Rankings
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cleveland Guardians
5. New York Yankees
6. (tie) Atlanta Braves
6. (tie) Philadelphia Phillies
8. Arizona Diamondbacks
9. Baltimore Orioles
10. San Diego Padres
11. New York Mets
12. Detroit Tigers
13. (tie) Houston Astros
13. (tie) Texas Rangers
15. Minnesota Twins
16. Kansas City Royals
17. Seattle Mariners
18. Boston Red Sox
19. (tie) Cincinnati Reds
19. (tie) Washington Nationals