In the midst of the early stages of free agency, Treasure Valley Sports' lead baseball correspondent, Will Bigby, sat down with the new Boise Spuds general manager, Joe Lederer, for an exclusive one-on-one interview.Will Bigby: Joe, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. I can imagine you're quite busy settling into the new job right as the off-season kicks off.
Joe Lederer: [laughs] Yeah, you could say that. The last two months or so has been an absolute whirlwind, to be honest.
Bigby: This is your second general manager job in about sixty days, first in Bucharest in the United Middle East Baseball Association and now here in Boise. What do you say to your detractors that question that fact that you up and left a team you just joined and made promises to?
Lederer: It's a fair question. I didn't expect this to happen, not this quickly. I took the job in Bucharest the same reason why I'm here. I saw a great opportunity in my career to take over a struggling club in a major baseball league. As I mentioned in my conference call the other day, I had big plans for Bucharest but I made it clear with the owner that it was a way for me to finally reach the pinnacle of this sport, which is the Brewster.
Bigby: So you've always wanted to run the Boise front office? That's a first.
Lederer: No, not exactly. I knew my results would ultimately get me to the BBA, I truly believe that. I figured once the league expanded in 2040, I could have a shot but when [owner] Mr. Grigg called me last week to offer me the opening here, I had to take the opportunity. And I'm lucky that the Bucharest ownership group allowed me to take my dream job.
Bigby: Interesting. Well, I know the fans here are looking for stability. Did you know you're now the fifth general manager in the team's first four-plus years?
Lederer: Oh, I most definitely know. Boise's had a rough go at it...four losing seasons, the worst winning percentage in BBA history, and yes, front office turnover. Too much turnover, if you ask me. I will bring stability to this club, as well as a culture of success, both on and off the field.
Bigby: [chuckling] "A rough go at it" is putting it mildly. The Boise Spuds have been in existence only four seasons and it's pretty much the laughing stock of baseball. There's already been a logo change, the park dimensions have been tweaked after only three seasons, and I'm not sure if you heard but there was a minor uprising amongst some of the players a couple of years ago when the owner decided to ban players from eating french fries. I mean, this is Boise for chrissakes, Joe!
Lederer: [shaking head in disbelief] I'm very aware, Will. These all made headlines and the morning talk shows. You left out the decision to hire John Kruk as the team nutritionist. And there was that State of the Union speech by the last guy in charge...It's all very unfortunate.
Bigby: So what's going to be different with you here?
Lederer: Like I said, there's going to be a change in culture and --
Bigby: [interrupting] A winning culture?
Lederer: Sure, why not? I'm not going to sit here and tell you the Spuds are going to win the Landis in 2039. We probably won't even make the playoffs. But in due time, winning will become synonymous with "Boise baseball."
Bigby: You really think the fans are on-board for the "four years away" plan?
Lederer: Now you're putting words in my mouth, Will. Look, this team won 74 games last year. We'll win more this next season. And the season after that. The boys fought hard all year long...74 wins doesn't sound like a lot but it was the most in team history. You have to take the positives when they present themselves, no matter how trivial. They finished the year on a five game winning streak. Team chemistry is fantastic. Oh, and there's that guy patrolling centerfield for us...he's a generational talent.
Bigby: French.
Lederer: Yup. Frenchy is young but he's already a leader...he leads by example and it's up to me to surround him with additional talent so we can reach the playoffs and win the Landis.
Bigby: Well, let's transition to free agency then. You were hired just as clubs started speaking with players. Do you feel like you're behind the eight ball already?
Lederer: Not really. Almost no one of significance signed in the first few days, we'll be okay.
Bigby: Care to let us know who you're targeting.
Lederer: You know I can't tell you that. What I can tell you is that we have a ton of cap space and salary flexibility. My plan is to compliment this existing roster during this first off-season. We might make a little splash here and there but it's all about putting us to a good position for the next ten years. And I plan to operate with fiscal responsibility.
Bigby: So no [Jared] Gillstrom or [Mario] Guerrer?
Lederer: [smirks, then chuckles] Again, I'm not going to comment publicly on who we are and aren't in discussions with. It's up to you guys to find that out, right? [smiles]
Bigby: Fair enough. I'm sure we'll all know soon enough.
Lederer: I'll be as open as I can be. It goes back to our new culture. With so much parity in the game, I'm convinced more than ever about the importance of culture. I come from an analytics background and it's going to be the core of our baseball decisions. But for the most part, all clubs do it. In all my time in baseball, it seems the teams that constantly outperform the analytics are the teams with a great culture, like Edmonton. Like Yellow Springs, Rockville, California. The days when you could just out-talent other teams are gone. The difference can be that winning culture.
Bigby: Great, I think that's refreshing to hear. We look forward to this new era of Spuds baseball. And with that, we appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit down with us.
Lederer: [extending handshake] My pleasure, Will. Should be a really fun year. I think we'll surprise some people.
Bigby: [shaking hand] That was Joe Lederer, the newest general manager of the Boise Spuds. I'm Will Bigby of Treasure Valley Sports, your home for Spuds baseball and all things East Oregon and Southwest Idaho. Back to the studio for highlights of this week's high school football results.
