Kansas City Royals Baird spent 18 years in the
Kansas City Royals organization, starting as the hitting coach for
Class A Appleton of the
Midwest League in 1988. He became a
scout in 1990 then served as an assistant to the
general manager (GM) (1998) and assistant GM (1999–2000). Baird replaced
Herk Robinson as the Royals' GM on June 17, 2000. Baird's job was a difficult one: taking a small-market, losing-record team and trying to compete against teams like the
Cleveland Indians and
Chicago White Sox. During his six full years as GM, Baird traded away popular players
Johnny Damon,
Carlos Beltrán, and
Jermaine Dye with many Royal fans feeling that the team didn't get equal value. He also signed free agent
Juan González to a one-year, $4 million contract, but he played only 33 games due to a back injury. After a poor start to the
2006 season, Baird was fired on May 31 and replaced by
Dayton Moore. During Baird's tenure, the team amassed a
win–loss record of 381–576 (.398), including three 100-loss seasons and only one winning season (
2003). The Royals led MLB in hits for the season.
Boston Red Sox Baird joined the
Boston Red Sox in 2006 as an assistant to the general manager after his firing in Kansas City, and later was named vice president and director of
professional scouting. Baird later became the senior vice president of player personnel, serving under president of baseball operations
Dave Dombrowski. The Red Sox won the
World Series three times during Baird's time with the team, in
2007,
2013, and
2018.
New York Mets On November 28, 2018, Baird was hired by the
New York Mets to work for new general manager
Brodie Van Wagenen. He performed that role until November 6, 2020.
Arizona Diamondbacks Baird joined the
Arizona Diamondbacks in June 2021 as a special assistant to general manager
Mike Hazen as Hazen took a leave of absence. Baird worked for the Diamondbacks through the 2023 season.
International baseball Baird was on the selection committee for the
U.S. national team's roster for the
2000 Summer Olympics. == Personal life ==