GM Has Come a Long Way, Baby

One after another, baseball’s general managers approached the youthful DePodesta and did all the talking.

And one after another, they stroked his chin and said “cootchie, cootchie, coo.”

Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta is only 31. But the baby talk wasn’t a jab at his youth. It was directed at his son, Trevor, 10 months, seated in a stroller by his father’s side Wednesday in the Ritz-Carlton banquet room.

In his first year at the general manager meetings without the word “assistant” prefacing his title, Trevor’s father has quickly shown he is comfortable operating in a manner foreign to members of the old-boy baseball fraternity.

One noticeable difference is that his wife, Karen, and son accompany him everywhere. After lunch, DePodesta gently rocked the stroller while he engaged in serious talks with John Schuerholz of the Atlanta Braves.

He whispered throughout an evening telephone conversation with Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics because Trevor was asleep in the hotel room. And dad beamed when his son made it through a 2 1/2 -hour business dinner without a fuss. No crying in baseball, indeed.

It appears the elder DePodesta goes about his business without fanfare too. Like father, like son.

Despite recent headlines about the Dodgers’ preliminary trade talks with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, DePodesta’s first off-season at the controls probably will unfold at a measured pace.

“This is fun and exciting,” DePodesta said. “I’ve been looking forward to having an off-season. I have a vision for the club, and the only way to get there is by having an open mind and being relentless.”

He was hired in February by new owner Frank McCourt to reshape the Dodgers by applying lessons learned while helping build the A’s into a cost-conscious perennial winner. The Harvard-educated DePodesta did not play professional baseball. Those who have worked with him say it doesn’t matter.

“Paul takes everything in and processes it in his own way,” said Toronto Blue Jay General Manager J.P. Ricciardi, who recommended DePodesta to Beane in 1998. “He is very bright and very prepared. There’s a misconception that if you played, you are smarter. He’s as baseball smart as you have to be to do the job.”

One of DePodesta’s few concessions to inexperience is daily telephone conversations with Beane.

“There are issues that come up as a first-time GM,” Beane said. “We talk about the normal frustrations and problems. It’s not like he needs a lot of help. He’s the smartest young man I’ve ever been around. He will amaze you.”

Their friendship endures. DePodesta’s family went to Boston last weekend for the wedding of David Forst, Beane’s current assistant. Of course Beane and Ricciardi were there, and everyone flew to Miami after the ceremony.

Dodger trades with the A’s and Blue Jays should surprise no one. Beane and Ricciardi said that dealing with their former co-worker is comfortable because, as Beane said, “It cuts out a lot of the bull. We see players the same way.”

One of DePodesta’s first deals was to acquire left fielder Jayson Werth from the Blue Jays for Jason Frasor. Werth found a spot in the lineup and was a catalyst in the Dodgers’ capturing the National League West, hitting 16 home runs and driving in 47 runs in 89 games. Frasor, a rookie, had 17 saves and a 4.08 earned-run average in 63 appearances with Toronto.

“That deal worked out well for both teams,” Ricciardi said.

DePodesta has a distinct advantage over his mentors. McCourt has given him a payroll of about $100 million; the A’s and Blue Jays reside in decidedly lower-rent districts.

“With Oakland, we weren’t in the free-agent market, so we were more aggressive with trades,” DePodesta said. “Now, with our payroll, I can be more patient. I’ve laid the groundwork for trades with a handful of clubs. My guess is it will start to pick up steam as it gets closer to Thanksgiving.”

Dodger needs are obvious -- starting pitchers, a catcher and an outfielder or first baseman with a strong bat.

But DePodesta’s biggest decision is whether to pay what it will take to re-sign free agent Adrian Beltre, the team’s top offensive threat.

The Dodgers want to avoid long-term contracts, which is precisely what Beltre’s agent, Scott Boras, is seeking. DePodesta wants to keep Beltre and knows Dodger fans would be unhappy if the third baseman signs elsewhere, but he would be undeterred by the fallout. After all, he observed firsthand how the A’s continued to win despite allowing Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen to leave when they became too expensive.

“You are projecting the future performance of human beings and you have to be incredibly careful,” DePodesta said. “The ability to predict a player’s performance for one year is difficult. Two to three years out is more difficult. Beyond that, you are throwing darts.”

One reason teams are less willing to sign players to long-term deals is that insurance carriers no longer provide protection against injuries for contracts longer than three years.

“If insurance companies are telling us that, maybe we should listen,” DePodesta said. “My first responsibility and primary responsibility is putting the best possible team on the field. It’s not about one guy.”

Unless that guy is Trevor. As his mother pushed the stroller down a hallway at the Ritz-Carlton, he caught sight of his dad and broke into a bright smile. A red, white and blue rubber ball was tucked near his feet. Could ball become his first word?

DePodesta laughed. “He was at spring training in Vero Beach when he was 4 weeks old,” he said. “That would be nice.”