Tory Hernandez out as Angels front-office shake-up continues

Tory Hernandez, who as manager of baseball operations helped run a bare-bones Angels front office while the team searched for a general manager in October, was informed by new GM Jerry Dipoto on Thursday that he will not be offered a contract for 2012.

Hernandez, 33, was with the team for seven years, the first three as a player performance analyst and the last four as manager of baseball operations. Considered one of the team's bright, up-and-coming young executives, Hernandez was mentioned as a possible GM and assistant GM candidate before Dipoto got the job in late October.

Instead, like former Angels GM Tony Reagins, assistant GM Ken Forsch, special assistant Gary Sutherland and farm director Abe Flores, Hernandez, whose loyalty to the organization was reflected in his willingness to work the last 10 days without a contract--a highly unusual practice in Major League Baseball--is no longer with the organization.

"I can't say it's entirely unexpected, but the timing is not good -- it's Nov. 10, and most of the jobs in baseball are filled," Hernandez said. Dipoto "wants to bring in his own guys, which I understand. They didn't see a fit, a role for me, here. I know there are better challenges out there for me. I want to scout more, and they don't have a role that fits that."