President Jed Hoyer has started making his offseason moves, hiring Carter Hawkins to be the team’s new general manager, the Cubs announced on Friday. Hawkins comes over from Cleveland where he served as the Indians’ assistant GM.
Hawkins began his career in Cleveland’s front office as an intern and slowly began to work his way through the ranks as a scout before being named the team’s player development director in 2015.
“I am thrilled to bring Carter into our organization,” Hoyer said in a press release. “He has earned a fantastic reputation as a leader through hard work, open-mindedness, humility and intelligence.
“I enjoyed getting to know him throughout the interview process, and it quickly became clear that we share the same passion for team building. I look forward to partnering with him to build the next great Cubs team.”
The Cubs’ GM position has been vacant for nearly a year after Hoyer’s promotion to team president following the departure of Theo Epstein last October. Hawkins will be the 16th general manager in franchise history.
Hawkins’ background in player development will be a welcomed addition to the Cubs’ front office. Cleveland has had much success developing starting pitching in recent years with names like Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, and others.
With the Cubs’ pitching infrastructure already in place, adding Hawkins may be the next piece in churning out major-league caliber pitchers on the North Side. Hawkins and Hoyer will meet with the media on Monday.
