The Athletics have a new lead executive. Taylor Smith is taking over as president of baseball operations, per a team announcement. Smith most recently served as an assistant general manager with the Red Sox.

After a wide-ranging search, the A’s have found a replacement for longtime general manager David Forst. The club moved on from Forst in August. Phillies exec Sam Fuld and Cubs assistant GM Jared Banner were in the running for the role. Fuld ended up staying in Philly, while Banner just took the Orioles’ general manager job. The A’s were also connected to former Astros GM James Click and former Nationals POBO Mike Rizzo. Smith’s colleague, fellow Boston AGM Mike Groopman, also received an interview.

The 31-year-old Smith emerged as the favorite for the gig late last week. Cardinals assistant GM Rob Cerfolio was also one of the finalists. A’s assistant GM Dan Feinstein finished out the season in place of Forst, but was not among the candidates for the full-time position.

“I couldn’t be more excited about Taylor as our president of baseball operations,” owner John Fisher said in a statement, relayed by Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. “He is one of the brightest minds in the game today. We conducted a very thorough search for our new baseball leadership, and Taylor stood out for his acute understanding of the game, especially in the areas of measuring player performance and player development.”

Boston hired Smith at the end of the 2024 season. He served in an analytics-focused position alongside three other AGMs. Smith began his career with the Rays. He spent seven years in the organization. He first joined the research and development team, then worked his way up to director of predictive modeling by the end of his tenure.

Forst had been with the A’s since 2000. He succeeded Billy Beane as general manager in 2015. The team was a postseason regular through the 2010s but failed to advance past the ALDS. The A’s made the playoffs in each season from 2018 through 2020. They haven’t been back since.

The A’s have finished fourth or fifth in the AL West in each of the past five seasons. The club lost 98 games in 2026. Injuries were a major factor this season, with key players Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, and Shea Langeliers all missing significant time.

Smith will have a solid core to work with as he tries to get the team back to the playoffs. Soderstrom and Rooker are signed to long-term deals, as are Jacob Wilson and Lawrence Butler. Langeliers just went through arbitration for the first time. Kurtz won’t enter the process for another season. The A’s will play in Sacramento for one more year. They’ll transition to their new digs in Las Vegas for the 2028 campaign.

Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images