Evans Gets in Game of Chance

Dan Evans has been eager for the opportunity that the Dodgers provided Wednesday in promoting him to general manager.

Chairman Bob Daly circumvented baseball’s standard hiring process, forgoing a job search, because he believes Evans will finally set things right again at Chavez Ravine. The confident first-time general manager agrees.

“I know that I can do this job,” said Evans, accompanying the team on its season-ending trip. “It’s very clear, in my mind, that I’m qualified for the position and I can handle this job. The key thing is, yes, I’ve never been a general manager before, but the great general mangers in this game have also never been in that situation [until getting a chance].

“You thrive in a situation like that if you’re intelligent enough to realize that you’re inexperienced being that guy, and I’m going to be very good at incorporating as many solid opinions and decision-makers as I can. Inexperience is only a problem if you decide you’ve got all the answers. I know I don’t have all the answers.”

Evans, 41, who spent 19 years with the Chicago White Sox, also has the title of executive vice president. The Dodgers did not release contract terms, but sources said Evans signed a three-year deal with a base salary believed to be about $500,000.

Daly and President Bob Graziano said Evans quickly impressed with his organizational and people skills after he joined the club in late May to assist then-interim General Manager Dave Wallace.

Wallace has been promoted to senior vice president of baseball operations and will be based at the club’s farm system hub in Vero Beach, Fla. He will continue to have input on all player-personnel decisions.

Ron Schueler, a White Sox special consultant and one of Evans’ mentors, said the Dodgers made a good hire.

“This is well deserved,” the former White Sox general manager said. “Danny has been waiting for this opportunity for a number of years, he’s worked for it, and no one is smarter with the rules.

“Obviously, his strength is on the administrative side, but he’s very well versed in every area he has to deal with. And Dave Wallace is a good man. They’re going to make a great team together.”

Many general managers were pleased that the expected promotion of Evans had become official, saying he belongs among them.

“”I don’t think the Dodgers could have picked a better choice to run that storied franchise,” said Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees. “You come across a lot of people in life who are great with people but are not as intelligent, and people who are intelligent and not really a lot of fun to be around. Danny is the whole package.

“He’s a tremendous addition because he can get along with anybody, and he’s one of the best front-office executives around. Danny is a consensus builder.”

Said Andy MacPhail of the Chicago Cubs: “Generally, if you persevere, some good things will happen. It’s happening for Danny right now.”

Evans, an assistant general manager with the White Sox, resigned when Ken Williams, vice president of player development, was elevated to general manager. Frustrated by that experience and his lack of success on the general-manager interview circuit, Evans left for Europe to recharge.

“General managers are sort of like players,” the Seattle Mariners’ Pat Gillick said. “Some players, it takes only three or four years to get to the majors. Others, it takes six or seven. It took Danny a little longer to get here, but it’s the right time and he’s ready.”

Evans also worked for Fox Sports Net and baseball’s labor-relations committee before joining the Dodgers. His wife, Susan, and their two daughters remained in Chicago and now plan to join him in Los Angeles.

Although Evans has operational control, he will report to Daly, who said he didn’t buy a piece of the team to simply sign checks and cheer from a luxury suite.

That’s fine with Evans, who worked for hands-on White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.

“They’re very similar,” he said. “Reinsdorf had an office at Comiskey Park; he was a presence every day. Bob cares about the Dodgers, he’s a lifelong Dodger fan, and I respect that. This is a passion for him; this isn’t just a thing that he decided to do the last few years.

“People have asked me, ‘How are you going to handle the fact that your owner is going to be in the ballpark every day?’ I’m used to that. Except for my few months [with the Cubs], I’ve always had the owner of the club literally down the hall from me. I don’t see any problem with that. If anything, that makes you more accountable.”

Evans’ brief Dodger tenure has been marked by three pitching trades that did not bolster the team down the stretch, but the acquisitions of James Baldwin, Mike Trombley and Terry Mulholland did not alter Daly’s opinion of him.

“Preparation is what this game is all about in terms of decision-making,” Evans said. “If you’re prepared to make a decision, you’re more apt to make the right call. Sure, things don’t work out sometimes. Trades don’t work out perfectly, roster moves don’t work out perfectly, but I walked away from all of those knowing that, at that time and that moment, it was the best move we could make.

“And it wasn’t just a gut feel. It was something we worked very hard on to make those decisions. I took in a lot of people’s opinions and did a whole lot of listening when we made those calls. I felt very good about those decisions. As a result, I don’t look back with any regret.”

Evans enjoys making moves, and the Dodgers face major off-season decisions. They have only 13 players under contract at $81.8 million. Starters Baldwin, Terry Adams, Chan Ho Park and closer Jeff Shaw can become free agents after the World Series.

“Clearly, we’ve got some long-term decisions that are also going to affect us short-term,” Evans said. “There are some decisions that could probably help us be a better club short-term but might not help us be a better club long-term. It [the payroll situation] is something I’ve thought through. I’m not naive. I know the contract status of our players, the age of our players and the prospect reports on our guys.

“The White Sox didn’t have the resources that the Dodger franchise has. If anything, that’s probably going to help me down the line. When I do things, I’ll still have that mentality that it’s not that we have this big pot to pick from. We have to get the best club for the most sensible amount of money. I’ve never been the guy who has had the bag of money to go out and get a guy.”