What makes a front office job attractive, even when the team is struggling? Hosts Thad Levine and Chet West use the Angels' GM opening to explain how baseball executives evaluate ownership, payroll, player development, and long-term opportunity. It's a rare inside look at how front offices really think, followed by listener questions on the NBA offseason and MLB All-Star selections.

What makes a front office job attractive, even when the team is struggling? Hosts Thad Levine and Chet West use the Angels' GM opening to explain how baseball executives evaluate ownership, payroll, player development, and long-term opportunity. It's a rare inside look at how front offices really think, followed by listener questions on the NBA offseason and MLB All-Star selections.

Welcome to the Rosters to Rings Podcast where General Managers from the MLB, NBA, NFL and more will take you behind the curtain and share their unfiltered experiences and evaluations of past and present events in professional sports.

Due to competitive reasons, league rules, ownership directives and extreme discretion, General Managers share approximately 40% of what they know and experience with fans. At the Rosters to Rings Podcast, we are here to share as much of the other 60% as we can. We will dive deep into not only what decisions are made, but how and why they are made, the strategic nature of negotiations, roster construction, the characters that make up the game, and the true depth of relationships between executives, coaches, players, agents, media and fans.

 

Welcome to the Rosters to Rings Podcast where General Managers from the MLB, NBA, NFL and more will take you behind the curtain and share their unfiltered experiences and evaluations of past and present events in professional sports.
Due to competitive reasons, league rules, ownership directives and extreme discretion, General Managers share approximately 40% of what they know and experience with fans. At the Rosters to Rings Podcast, we are here to share as much of the other 60% as we can. We will dive deep into not only what decisions are made, but how and why they are made, the strategic nature of negotiations, roster construction, the characters that make up the game, and the true depth of relationships between executives, coaches, players, agents, media and fans.
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Rosters to Rings Podcast

The Hidden Appeal of the Angels GM Job

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1e564345-f82e-466c-b52c-b482005b40be/transcript

Thad Levine and Chet West sit down with Dan O’Dowd, Thad’s first boss and one of the most influential executives of his generation, for a behind-the-scenes look at building a Major League organization. Dan reflects on his path from Baltimore to Cleveland to becoming GM of the Colorado Rockies, the challenges of building a winner at altitude, the 2007 “Rocktober” run, and the realities of working with ownership. He also shares candid lessons from his career, including the decisions he would make differently today and the importance of finding the right balance between analytics, relationships, and leadership.

🎧 Send your questions to rosterstoringspodcast@gmail.com and we'll answer them on the pod!

Thad Levine and Chet West sit down with Dan O&rsquo;Dowd, Thad&rsquo;s first boss and one of the most influential executives of his generation, for a behind-the-scenes look at building a Major League organization. Dan reflects on his path from Baltimore to Cleveland to becoming GM of the Colorado Rockies, the challenges of building a winner at altitude, the 2007 &ldquo;Rocktober&rdquo; run, and the realities of working with ownership. He also shares candid lessons from his career, including the decisions he would make differently today and the importance of finding the right balance between analytics, relationships, and leadership.
🎧 Send your questions to <a href="mailto:rosterstoringspodcast@gmail.com">rosterstoringspodcast@gmail.com</a> and we'll answer them on the pod!

Building a Baseball Organization - Part 1 with Dan O'Dowd

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0bd46a65-0c4b-473f-b5df-b4b90157b590/transcript

Thad Levine and Chet West break down a wave of major front-office shakeups across Major League Baseball, from the Angels and A’s to the Astros, and ask what these moves say about the state of the game. They also dive into the ongoing debate over MLB payroll, salary caps and salary floors, and whether spending more actually translates to winning.

The conversation then turns to the other side of roster construction: when big contracts go wrong. Thad and Chet examine the long-term impact of deals like Deshaun Watson’s contract with the Browns and Kris Bryant’s deal with the Rockies, and how injuries, declining performance and guaranteed money can reshape a franchise.

🎧 Send your questions to rosterstoringspodcast@gmail.com and we'll answer them on the pod!

Thad Levine and Chet West break down a wave of major front-office shakeups across Major League Baseball, from the Angels and A&rsquo;s to the Astros, and ask what these moves say about the state of the game. They also dive into the ongoing debate over MLB payroll, salary caps and salary floors, and whether spending more actually translates to winning.
The conversation then turns to the other side of roster construction: when big contracts go wrong. Thad and Chet examine the long-term impact of deals like Deshaun Watson&rsquo;s contract with the Browns and Kris Bryant&rsquo;s deal with the Rockies, and how injuries, declining performance and guaranteed money can reshape a franchise.
🎧 Send your questions to <a href="mailto:rosterstoringspodcast@gmail.com">rosterstoringspodcast@gmail.com</a> and we'll answer them on the pod!

Bad Contracts and Big Payrolls

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fec8c453-1775-4d8f-9fa2-b4b20162c17e/transcript

Rosters to Rings welcomes back former NBA GM and longtime friend of the program Ryan McDonough to break down the rapidly changing business of sports ownership. Ryan joins Thad Levine and Chet West to discuss the explosion in NBA franchise valuations, the rise of minority ownership, and why sports teams are becoming increasingly attractive investment opportunities.

Ryan also explains why the Timberwolves sale looked like a bargain in hindsight, what makes the Lakers such a uniquely valuable franchise, how his Sports Ownership Group evaluates potential investments, and why relationships and insider knowledge can be just as valuable as capital. Plus, a look at the future of NBA expansion, the growing role of syndicate-style ownership, and why MLB could be the next major sports ownership market to heat up.

🎧 Send your questions to rosterstoringspodcast@gmail.com and we'll answer them on the pod!

 

Rosters to Rings welcomes back former NBA GM and longtime friend of the program Ryan McDonough to break down the rapidly changing business of sports ownership. Ryan joins Thad Levine and Chet West to discuss the explosion in NBA franchise valuations, the rise of minority ownership, and why sports teams are becoming increasingly attractive investment opportunities.
Ryan also explains why the Timberwolves sale looked like a bargain in hindsight, what makes the Lakers such a uniquely valuable franchise, how his Sports Ownership Group evaluates potential investments, and why relationships and insider knowledge can be just as valuable as capital. Plus, a look at the future of NBA expansion, the growing role of syndicate-style ownership, and why MLB could be the next major sports ownership market to heat up.
🎧 Send your questions to <a href="mailto:rosterstoringspodcast@gmail.com">rosterstoringspodcast@gmail.com</a> and we'll answer them on the pod!
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Billion-Dollar Teams and Minority Stakes with Ryan McDonough

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a8f8db7b-1b06-4da0-9db5-b4ab016974fd/transcript

The Hidden Appeal of the Angels GM Job

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