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Phillies executive turns down opportunity to join struggling American League organization
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- Phillies executive turns down opportunity to join struggling American League organization
The Athletics offered Sam Fuld a chance to return to baseball operations and lead an MLB franchise. He turned it down.
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Fuld declined the opportunity to become the Athletics' president of baseball operations and withdrew from consideration, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Saturday. Instead, he will remain with the Philadelphia Phillies as their president of business operations.
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The decision is notable because Fuld previously served as Philadelphia's general manager, making the Athletics' offer an opportunity to return to the baseball side of the front office in a leadership role.
Instead, he is sticking with the position he took on earlier this year.
Sam Fuld chooses to stay with Phillies
Fuld's path through baseball's front offices has been anything but conventional. After an eight-season major league playing career, he joined the Phillies' organization in 2017 and worked his way into a prominent front-office role.
He became Philadelphia's general manager in December 2020, working under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. The Phillies later announced a transition that would move Fuld into business operations after he completed his executive MBA at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
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Fuld completed that transition in 2026. His current role puts him in charge of the business side of the organization rather than its day-to-day baseball decisions.
The Athletics' offer would have taken him back into baseball operations, this time with responsibility for leading their department and helping shape the franchise's direction.
But Fuld has decided that is not the move he wants to make right now.
MLB: Spring Training-New York Yankees at Philadelphia Phillies
Feb 25, 2024; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld talk in the dugout before a game against the New York Yankees at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
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His decision leaves the Athletics searching for another leader as the organization works through its next phase. The club is preparing for its planned move to Las Vegas after playing temporarily in Sacramento, creating an unusual backdrop for whoever eventually takes charge of its baseball operations.
For Philadelphia, Fuld's decision provides continuity on the business side as the club prepares for the offseason. His experience as a former player and general manager gives him a perspective that spans both the field and the front office.
The Athletics' job offered Fuld a return to baseball leadership. For now, though, he appears content to build on his new career in Philadelphia rather than take on another major transition.
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