Are Angels Hot For Rays GM Andrew Friedman?

Is the Rays' Andrew Friedman -- arguably the most successful executive in professional sports over the last four years -- about to move across the country and run the Orange County Angels, currently engaged in a search for a new general manager? Well, read this report from DRaysBay and see what you think ...

On Tuesday night, one of our readers was at a restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg when he saw Andrew Friedman dining with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim team owner Arte Moreno and another individual he later identified as team president John Carpino. This individual lives locally so Friedman is no strange face to him, and he immediately recognized Moreno when walking by their table. Both he and the friend he was dining with feel extremely confident in what they saw, and confirmed after another walk-by and an internet search that the third person at the table was team president John Carpino.

Over the last three seasons, the Tampa Bay Rays have spend roughly $180 million on player salaries; the Angels have spent more than twice that. And the gap only grew larger this year, when the Angels increased their payroll and the Rays decreased theirs. It's not unreasonable to suggest that Friedman might a) earn a significantly higher salary with the wealthy Angels, and b) enjoy having, for once, some real financial flexibility when trying to build a winning team.