A photo caption in the May 4 Sports section misstated the age of Stan Kasten, the Washington Nationals' new president. He is 54, not 56.
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Nats' Brass Say They'll Rebuild From Within
"We intend to have long-term success here," Nationals President Stan Kasten said. Kasten, 56, ran the Atlanta Braves for 17 years, with 13 wining seasons.
(By Lucian Perkins -- The Washington Post)
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Whether that apparently shared ideal will be enough for Bowden to keep his job remains to be seen. The 44-year-old made significant inroads with the Lerner group during the last year and a half, but Kasten would appear to have significant impact on the hires in baseball operations. Years ago, he hired John Schuerholz to run the Braves, a move that has helped pay off in 14 consecutive division titles.
In fact, Schuerholz has two assistants in Atlanta who are considered future GM candidates -- Dayton Moore and Frank Wren. Moore interviewed to be the Boston Red Sox' GM last fall, but withdrew from consideration, and Wren served as GM of the Baltimore Orioles in 1999. Speculation around baseball is that one will succeed Schuerholz when he retires -- possibly following the 2007 season, when his contract runs out -- and that the other could be plucked away by Kasten.
Asked yesterday about Moore and Wren, Kasten said: "I love both of them. But what do you want me to do, give you a list of all the people I love?"
In an interview last month, Schuerholz said of Moore and Wren, "Stan knows them both and has a lively and proper respect for both of them."
The fate of Robinson, 70, is tied up in the decision about the general manager. Robinson has two winning seasons, one losing season and one campaign of 81-81 in his four full years managing the franchise. The team has a 9-19 record after losing last night to the Florida Marlins. Robinson has said repeatedly he would like to manage beyond this season, but he has no pre-established relationship with Kasten. He said yesterday that he "respected him for what he's been a part of."
Sources within the Nationals' front office believe that the most likely fate for Robinson is to manage the rest of this season -- "unless things get really bad," one source said -- and then be offered a position in the front office. Robinson said last week he would consider such a move.
"It would have to be a meaningful position with some authority," he said.
Bowden has spent considerable time preparing for the June draft, and Kasten said he would not interrupt that process. This draft, though, will be the first step toward building what Kasten hopes will be a farm system that produces players long into the future. The key for those who end up working for the team, not to mention the fans who follow it, will be patience.
"That's the most important message I can send to every one of our fans who we hope is with us for the long-term," Kasten said, "because we intend to have long-term success here."
Staff writers Dave Sheinin and Eli Saslow contributed to this report.
