Klentak to Angels, Orioles front office still in flux

The Orioles lost an integral part of their front office on Wednesday afternoon with the announcement that director of baseball operations Matt Klentak has been hired as the assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Highly regarded in the Orioles organization –and around baseball — Klentak is seen as an up-and-coming front office executive and he’s been instrumental in the team’s structuring of contracts, arbitration cases and the 40-man roster. He officially agreed Wednesday to a multiyear contract with the Angels and will work along with new GM Jerry Dipoto, who also hired Scott Servais as his assistant GM in charge of scouting and player development.

Klentak, 31, worked on the 2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement and helped advise teams on the rules, which is where he forged a strong relationship with Andy MacPhail. When MacPhail joined Baltimore’s front office as president of baseball operations in ‘08 he hired Klentak to join him.  While MacPhail chose to not seek a contract extension at the end of the 2011 season, Klentak was an integral part of the Orioles interview process in replacing MacPhail and was singled out by both new executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter. Dipoto also interviewed for the Orioles’ GM vacancy and was seen as one of the favorites to land that position, but accepted the Angels’ offer before Baltimore could get any further in the process.

It’s unknown what Klentak’s departure will do to an Orioles front office that is already in a state of flux. Duquette has been interviewing scouting director candidates and said at his initial press conference that he hoped to have most of the new hires in the front office in place before next month’s Winter Meetings. It’s also unknown who, or how many, people Duquette wants to bring to work with him in Baltimore. The Orioles also need to fill two positions on Showalter’s coaching staff.

Klentak got his start working in baseball operations for Colorado in 2003, where he was involved in video and advance scouting while coordinating amateur scouting reports. A native of Medfield, Mass., Klentak graduated in 2002 with a degree in economics from Dartmouth College, where he was a four-year baseball letterman, three-year starting shortstop and team captain his senior year. The Big Green won two Ivy League Red Rolfe Division championships (’00 and ’01) during his playing days.