Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire dies at age 91

Former Dodgers general manager Fred Claire died at age 91 on Monday.

Claire had battled cancer for years. He worked for the Dodgers in various roles from 1969 through 1998 including as GM from 1987-98.

“The Dodgers are grieving the passing of Fred Claire, a longtime key fixture of our organization,” Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement released by the team. “Fred brought many victories and Dodger legends to our franchise, as well as a 1988 World Series title, and we are forever grateful for his leadership during such a memorable era.”

Claire worked as a sports writer during the 1950s and 1960s, including for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. He was assigned to cover the Dodgers in 1969 and wound up moving into the team’s public relations department during the season.

Claire was the Dodgers’ vice-president of public relations when GM Al Campanis was forced to resign following his offensive comments during an appearance on ABC’s Nightline. Dodgers president Peter O’Malley moved Claire into the GM position despite his lack of experience in player evaluation or personnel decisions.

The Dodgers finished fourth in the NL West in 1987. But through a series of moves, including the free-agent signing of Kirk Gibson, Claire built the Dodgers into World Series champions in 1988.

Claire oversaw the signing of Hideo Nomo in 1995 that opened the door for Japanese stars like Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers had an unprecedented run of five consecutive Rookie of the Year Award winners from 1992-96 (Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Nomo and Todd Hollandsworth) under Claire’s leadership.

The Dodgers were sold to FOX News Corporation in 1998 and the new owners traded Piazza without Claire’s involvement, signaling the end of his time as GM.

Claire was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. He wrote a book about his career in baseball, Extra Innings, and donated the proceeds to City of Hope Medical Center.