Hey all! So, we're a good month into the baseball offseason now. The Mets gave the city a nice long postseason run before petering out in the World Series. So while the boys of summer rest up for the 2016 campaign, the "boys of winter" take center stage now. And of course, I'm referring to the game's general managers, executives, and team owners. Winter's the time for brass members to pinpoint their club's weaknesses, and identify just how they're going to go about sealing those particular holes. Just like the actual season, there will be winning teams and there shall be losing teams. Here's hoping your team ends up a winner! And as we relax and warm our hands on the "hot stove", let's take a gander at the past and read up on some successful baseball executives from yesteryear who left their fingerprints on winning ballclubs.

1. Frank Cashen - We've all got Mets fever still (right?) as we come off the heels of their memorable journey through October. Thus, we may as well lead off our list with Sir Frank here. Prior to becoming the general manager of the New York Mets from 1980-1991 (with a small stint as the club's interim GM in 1998 as well), Cashen spent a decade and change as an executive vice president in the Baltimore Oriole organization. During his tenure from 1965-1975, the Orioles enjoyed the most successful stretch in their franchise's history. The O's won 6 division titles (including 3 straight from 1969-1971), 4 pennants, and 2 championships on Cashen's watch. All of which made him super appealing to the "Grant's Tomb Mets", who finished last every season from '77 through '79, averaging a mere .397 winning percentage. In 1980, Mets owner Charles Shipman Payson sold the team to publishing company Doubleday and Co., which was headed by the late company's president, Nelson Doubleday Jr. His first order of business? Hiring Frank Cashen to reconstruct the entire roster and farm system. And that he did. With successful first round draft picks Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden in tow, the Mets pulled the trigger on some risky yet successful deals for established players such as Keith Hernandez, and Gary Carter to name a few. With Cashen at the helm, the Mets enjoyed a solid run over the years 1984-1990, averaging over 95 wins in that time span. Of course, Cashen's magnum opus from his New York tenure would be the '86 World Champion Mets team, the subject of countless love and fanfare within the fanbase, and also the subject of the killer book, The Bad Guys Won!

2. Jim Campbell - Plenty of gentlemen have done what Frank Cashen did, pioneering two teams to World Series titles. Jim Campbell kind of did that in his own way. He was not only the general manager that put together the 1968 championship Detroit Tigers roster (highlighted in Summer of '68), but also was the team president for a different generation's Tigers club in 1984, when they won it all once more. Campbell made many instrumental moves over the course of his career in Detroit. He initially cut his teeth in baseball as a minor league executive for the Tigers in 1949 before becoming a scout for them in 1960. He spent 1963-1983 as the club's general manager, and then became the team's president from 1978 until 1990. That's parts of six decades working for one team! Under his watch, the club signed a large amount of amateur free agents who ended up being pivotal during their 7-game victory of the St. Louis Cardinals in the '68 Fall Classic, including  Willie Horton, Jim Northrup, and Bill Freehan. All of whom are still relieved that Lou Brock didn't slide. Then in the 80's, Campbell once again made some great finds via scouting, as he drafted standouts such as Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, and Jack Morris, all of whom go down in Tiger lore. But it wasn't just his scouting that brought Detroit that title. He also made vital trades for All-Star outfielder Chet Lemon and closer Willie Hernandez (who'd go on to win both the MVP and Cy Young  Awards in that memorable 1984 summer in Motown). He had success in every aspect of the baseball executive's world. Few can say they were as successful as Jim Campbell was.

3. John Schuerholz - Talking about long tenures? Well in that case, we can't forget to mention John Schuerholz and his substantial Atlanta Braves run. But before we get to that, we should also note how successful he was when he was the general manager of the Kansas City Royals. From 1981-1990, Schuerholz was the third general manager in Royals history. Under his guidance, the club reached the postseason 3 times (including their triumph in the 1985 World Series), and finished runnerup in the American League West 4 times. Following a dismal 1990 season, Schuerholz left for the Atlanta Braves franchise, and enjoyed immediate success. His 1991-2005 clubs (save for 1994, when there were no winners in a strike shortened season) all finished atop the National League East. That 14 straight division title marker is a baseball record, and is one that's going to be hard to dethrone. Schuerholz made sure his teams were always well-stocked with talent. He made deals to bring stars such as Greg Maddux (4 straight Cy Young awards from '92-'95), Terry Pendleton (took home the 1991 MVP), Gary Sheffield, and others. He also kept Atlanta stars such as Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz (who was acquired in a steal of a deal by another Brave icon, Bobby Cox) in Braves uniforms throughout their primes.  In 2007 he was promoted to president of the Atlanta Braves, a position which he still holds today.

4. Cedric Tallis - From one 1-time Royal executive to another, Cedric Tallis was Kansas City's inaugural general manager. He had to build the club from scratch. And while Tallis only served as the expansion team's GM from 1969-1974, a lot of the moves that he made led to the dominant AL West force the club would become from the mid-70s to the mid-80s. Draft picks (George Brett, Willie Wilson), trade acquisitions (Amos Otis, Hal McRae), and amateur signings (Frank White) all played integral roles for the powerhouse Royals clubs of eld. From there, Tallis would eventually move onto the 'Bronx Zoo' New York Yankee teams of the 1970s. Of course in those years, George Steinbrenner was the man really calling all the shots for the Bombers. Nevertheless, under Tallis' supervision, Yankee Stadium underwent its famous remodeling, and stars such as Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, and Goose Gossage all found their way into Yankee pinstripes. Tallis and Steinbrenner's Yankee ballclubs wound up taking home the 1977 and 1978 titles in two highly memorable seasons, profiled in Ladies and Gentlemen,The Bronx is Burning and October Men, respectively. 

5. George Weiss - Finally, we'll mention one of the lesser known all-time greats, George Weiss. Weiss got to preside over arguably the most successful  era of New York Yankee baseball from 1947-1960, a period which includes all of Casey Stengel's time managing the team. But before that, Weiss' original job when hired by the Yankees in 1932 was to create a farm system from the ground up (the Yankees didn't have one yet). Weiss thrived at this job, and when the Yanks won 5 championships in 6 seasons from 1936-1941, a lot of the players Weiss brought on board played key parts. Eventually in 1947, Weiss moved into the general manager's chair, and things seriously began to take off for the Bombers. From 1947-1960, the Yankees continued their run of dominance, claiming 11 pennants and 8 World Series titles (including a record 5-peat from 1949-1953). Such a run simply isn't fathomable today with twice and many teams as well the tournament-playoff format in place now (back then you finished with the best winning percentage in your league, you went directly to the World Series) but nevertheless, Weiss kept the Yankees competitive for a lengthy amount of years. After his team fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1960 World Series, Weiss was let go, but was snatched up by the upstart expansion team Mets. He became the club's first ever president and general manager. During his tenure with the Amazins, Weiss even made a bit of dubious news, when he drafted a catcher by the name of Steve Chilcott with the first overall pick in the 1966 draft. Going second? Future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson. Chilcott would unfortunately never play an inning in the majors for any team.

To read more about the men behind some of baseball's best teams, check out In Pursuit of Pennants: Baseball Operations from Deadball to Moneyball.