DeJon Watson's GM Competition In Baltimore Decreased By One

Since there are only 30 general manager spots in Major League Baseball, it's not often you see someone turn down a GM job offer. But that's just what happened in Baltimore, when Toronto Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava said no to the Orioles. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun has more details:

LaCava said he wasn’t actively searching for a GM job this time around, and was very much interested in the Orioles post.

"When I decided to interview, it wasn’t that I was looking to leave. But there are only 30 GM positions and I was interested in it. When I weighed both at the end of the day, I just didn’t feel I could leave the Blue Jays.

"I am working in a great place, a job that I love. It’s just as simple as that."

What that means is Dodgers assistant GM and head of player development DeJon Watson is one of two candidates remaining who have already interviewed with Baltimore for the still vacant GM spot. Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com compares Watson with the other candidate, O's head of player development John Stockstill:

Watson, who met with the Orioles several times as well, according to Yahoo! Sports, remains in play, while Stockstill is seen as more of a wild card, particularly given the organization’s struggles in the scouting and player development area.

The Orioles will now likely expand their search but Watson, who has been with the Dodgers for the last five years including the last four as head of player development, remains a strong candidate in Baltimore. Watson also interviewed last year with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who eventually hired Kevin Towers as their GM.