Saturday is just one of a handful of days this playoff season in which there are no Major League Baseball playoff games. And if there were, the Phillies would not be among them. Major news broke on Saturday afternoon: There will be a change at general manager.
The Phillies announced Saturday that Phillies general manager Matt Klentak would be "stepping down" from the general manager role in a news release:
The Phillies announced today that Matt Klentak has stepped down as the team’s general manager. He will be reassigned to another position in the organization. Klentak was hired in October 2015 after serving as assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Angels for four seasons. “I have stated publicly that winning is what matters, not just in Philadelphia but in all cities and in all sports,” said Phillies Managing Partner John Middleton. “While Matt made many significant contributions to the organization, we did not accomplish our goal of playing baseball in October. Consequently, we have mutually agreed to allow new leadership to head Baseball Operations.” “While I am disappointed that we failed to reach our ultimate goal, I am nevertheless very proud of the progress that this organization made over the last five years and of the people who worked so hard to make it happen,” said Klentak. “I am grateful for all of the support that I received along the way from Phillies ownership, friends and colleagues, and our loyal Phillies fans.” Ned Rice will serve as interim general manager until a permanent successor is hired to oversee the team’s Baseball Operations.
Todd Zolecki of MLB.com notes that Klentak will be "reassigned".
All eyes were on Klentak's future in recent weeks.
The Phillies only needed to finish two games under the .500 mark in order to make the 2020 playoffs, after finishing at the .500 mark in 2019. New manager Joe Girardi made no difference, leading to widespread speculation that the general manager would be next to lose his job after a 28-32 season.
