The Cubs have announced changes to their front office, specifically moving Jared Banner to an assistant general manager role. Sources have confirmed this to Marquee Sports Network. In his new role, Banner will work under GM Carter Hawkins and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer. For the last two years, Banner served as the vice president of player development, after previously holding the role of vice president of special projects in 2021.
The Cubs made this move to fill the hole left by Craig Breslow, who departed to lead the Red Sox baseball operations. Breslow had been the assistant GM and VP of pitching for the Cubs in recent years. Additionally, the team will be seeking a new farm director to replace Banner in his former position.
During his time as vice president of player development, Banner’s oversight has seen the Cubs system rise to the top of the league. FanGraphs, MLB Pipeline, and Bleacher Report have all rated the Cubs’ farm system as one of the best in the game, with FanGraphs ranking them as number one, MLB Pipeline as 4th, and Bleacher Report at number two.