Sam Fuld turns down Athletics president of baseball operations role

Sam Fuld has turned down an offer to become the AthleticsAthleticsUnited States' president of baseball operations, a decision reported on 10 October 2026. Fuld works in the Philadelphia Phillies' front office, and his refusal leaves the Athletics still searching for the executive to lead their baseball department. Neither club has commented publicly on the approach.

Season

Where the Athletics' search stands

A president of baseball operations is the senior front-office figure on the baseball side of a club, and the Athletics have not explained publicly how they intend to structure the job alongside their existing staff. The approach to Fuld is the most concrete detail to have emerged about the search so far. Taylor Smith, an assistant general manager with the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxUnited States, is understood to remain a leading candidate.

The club has not published a shortlist and has not said how many people it has spoken to, so the reported offer to Fuld is the clearest signal of how far the process has gone. No appointment has been announced, and the position remains unfilled.

Sam Fuld's current role

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Fuld is employed by the Phillies, which means the offer came from outside his own organisation. Declining it leaves him in place, and there has been no public word from the Phillies on whether they were asked for permission to speak to him. Fuld has not commented, and his reasons for turning the role down are not known.

Taylor Smith and the Boston link

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Smith is the other name attached to the vacancy, as an assistant general manager at the Red Sox. Any appointment of a serving executive from another club would in practice require that club's agreement, and neither Boston nor the Athletics have said whether permission has been discussed. Smith has not commented on the link.

What is not yet known

• The Athletics have not confirmed that an offer was made, or that Fuld was their preferred candidate.
• No contract terms, salary or start date have been disclosed.
• It is unclear whether the position is a new one or a restructuring of an existing role.
• No date has been set for an appointment, and it is not known who else is under consideration.
• Neither the Athletics, the Phillies nor the Red Sox have commented on the search.

What happens next

The Athletics are expected to keep working through candidates, with Smith the name that has surfaced most clearly so far. Front-office appointments of this kind can take weeks to conclude, and no timetable has been given for an announcement. Until the club confirms a hire, the leadership of its baseball operation remains unresolved and Fuld stays where he is.