Multiple sources out of Chicago reported on Monday evening that the Minnesota Twins have requested permission to interview Cubs senior vice president of scouting and player development Jason McLeod.
It’s an intriguing fit for a number of reasons. Among them is that McLeod has close ties to Theo Epstein, an executive who has a knack for winning and being at the cutting edge of emerging trends in the game. According to CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney from an article just over a year ago, the McLeod-Epstein connection dates back to the mid-90s when both worked with the San Diego Padres. Mooney also surmised at the time that McLeod could have been a candidate for the Red Sox job that was filled over the offseason by Mike Hazen after Ben Cherington — reportedly perhaps also a Twins target — which suggests the level of prestige the Cubs’ VP has within the game.
McLeod also has a history with the Red Sox, for whom he drafted players like Jed Lowrie, Justin Masterson and Jacoby Ellsbury. He was also in the room when the Cubs selected MVP candidate Kris Bryant. His first-ever draft pick as a scouting director was Dustin Pedroia.
Additionally, it certainly can’t hurt to gravitate towards executive talent that’d be coming from one of, or perhaps the most innovative organizations in baseball. From the top down, the Cubs are at the forefront of just about everything going on in baseball, from Jed Hoyer and Epstein all the way down to field manager Joe Maddon.
Here’s a list of good reading about the potential Twins GM candidate:
Aug. 20, 2015 – CSN Chicago – “Cubs VP Jason McLeod Could Become In-Demand GM Candidate”
June 21, 2016 – Boston Globe – “McLeod isn’t ready to leave the Cubs — yet”
June 6, 2016 – Baseball Prospectus – “Prospectus Q&A – Jason McLeod”
June 20, 2016 – CBS Chicago – “Jason McLeod: Cubs Need to do Better Cultivating Homegrown Pitchers”
