GM Matt Klentak hired Kapler before the '18 season and had been committed to seeing him return in '20GETTY IMAGES
Phillies Managing Partner John Middleton made the decision to fire manager Gabe Kapler "despite the support Kapler carried" from team President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak, creating questions "about the team's front office," according to Matt Breen of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. Klentak hired Kapler before the '18 season and was "committed to seeing him return" in '20, but Kapler's future "did not lie with Klentak." Instead, it was "another key decision" made by Middleton, who also "pushed for the signings over the last two winters of Bryce Harper and Jake Arrieta." Middleton "traveled with the team during its final road trip of the season to study his club as it missed the postseason for the eighth straight year." He spent the first week of the offseason "interviewing players, gauging how the manager was received in the clubhouse." Middleton, "despite the opinions of MacPhail and Klentak, gathered enough information to make his decision." He said that Klentak will "lead the search for the next manager." However, Breen notes it is "hard to imagine Middleton not playing a key role in the hiring process after he was the one responsible for firing Kapler" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/11). MLB.com's Todd Zolecki noted Middleton has "really asserted himself in this process," and it was his decision "that he wanted a new manager" in '20 ("The Rundown," MLB Network, 10/10).
DISCORD AT THE TOP? In Philadelphia, Scott Lauber writes in firing Kapler, the Phillies "revealed a management team that appears to be at odds, possibly even in a state of dysfunction." For the "second time in three months," Middleton "came off the top rope to direct a personnel decision." While that is his prerogative, it does "raise questions about Klentak's autonomy going forward." Middleton joined the team for the final road series of the season and "met with the front office on a variety of matters, including Kapler's future." Despite Klentak's "strong endorsement for his hand-picked manager, Middleton conducted a thorough, two-week evaluation" that he said "included talking to many people both internally and around the league." In the end, Middleton "overruled Klentak again, proving that he might not be as impulsive as George Steinbrenner, but he craves every bit as much hands-on influence" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/11).
MOVE HAD TO BE MADE: In Philadelphia, Jim Salisbury wrote it is "clear that Middleton and his partners were not happy with the way the season went." Middleton is "keenly aware of his team's fan base." It "wanted change, maybe even beyond the manager, and it got some" (NBCSPORTSPHILADELPHIA.com, 10/10). The Athletic's Matt Gelb said the Phillies "had to make this move," as they "deliberated for a long time" about the decision. Gelb: "When you go this far down the road, it would have been hard to bring him back" ("MLB Now," MLB Network, 10/10).
