PRESIDENT
Matt Silverman enters his 19th season with the Rays and 14th as team president. Together, he and Brian Auld lead the club’s operations both internally and externally.
Silverman returned to the team president role in the fall of 2017 after serving three seasons (2015-17) as president of baseball operations. He was first promoted to team president in October 2005 at the age of 29, and over the next nine years guided the franchise through the most progressive growth stage in its history. At the top of the list is the revitalization of the Rays. In the fall of 2007, Silverman directed a complete organizational rebranding including a new name, colors, uniforms and logo, a bright yellow sunburst.
While steering the baseball operations department, Silverman oversaw significant leadership changes, both on the field and in the front office. During this time, he and his staff engineered 36 trades involving nearly 100 players, restocking the organization’s minor league pipeline (including the July 2017 signing of Dominican shortstop Wander Franco). In December 2014, he hired Kevin Cash to become the fifth manager in Rays history. In November 2016, he elevated Erik Neander and others within the baseball operations department. One year later, his move back to team president completed the transition of baseball leadership, passing the baton to Neander as the team’s top-ranking baseball official. Neander would eventually be recognized as MLB Executive of the Year and Cash AL Manager of the Year twice.
Silverman is board chairman of Starting Right, Now, which helps homeless high school students reach their potential. He is in his ninth year as the first chairman of the board of the Positive Coaching Alliance Tampa Bay, the regional chapter of the national nonprofit providing youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience. He also serves on the board of the Rays Baseball Foundation.
Prior to joining the Rays, Silverman worked closely with Stuart Sternberg at Goldman Sachs and orchestrated Sternberg’s purchase of controlling interest in the franchise. In 2018, Silverman and Auld oversaw the Rays purchase of the Tampa Bay Rowdies USL soccer team, based in St. Petersburg. They now also serve as vice chairmen of the Rowdies, overseeing all franchise operations.
The Dallas native first met Auld in high school, and they graduated one year apart. He holds a bachelor of economics degree from Harvard University. Matt and his wife, Andrea, reside in St. Petersburg with their three daughters: Alexa, Samantha and Casey.