With new openings in the Padres' front office, new general manager Josh Byrnes has hired Chad MacDonald as the team's vice president and assistant general manager of player personnel.

MacDonald is essentially taking the place of Jason McLeod, who left to reunite with Theo Epstein in Boston, and Chris Gwynn, who was recently hired as the Mariners farm director.

"It's a great opportunity that was almost impossible to turn down," MacDonald said. "Any time you get a chance to have added responsibility and you have a chance to impact a major league organization, it's exciting and challenging and to be able to work with Josh (Byrnes), I'm excited about that. I think the world of Josh and that's something I'm excited to do is help him build a winner in San Diego."

MacDonald spent the 2011 season as the Mets' scouting director, but his relationship with Byrnes goes back to 1994 when the two were both in Cleveland's front office—MacDonald in the scouting department and Byrnes in player development.

After Byrnes became the Diamondbacks' general manager in 2005, he hired MacDonald, who served as the team's assistant scouting director from 2006-2008 and then as the international scouting director for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

In between his time together with Byrnes, MacDonald was an area scout for the Indians from 1999-2002 and then an area scout for the Angels from 2003-2005.

Padres scouting director Jaron Madison will remain with the team in that capacity and will work closely with MacDonald, who will oversee the team's amateur and international scouting efforts.

Taking MacDonald's place with the Mets will be Tommy Tanous. Tanous was a pro scout for the Mets in 2011. Before that, he was a national crosschecker for the Blue Jays from 2004-2010. He was a Northeast area scout from 1996-2003, mostly with the Brewers ('96-'02) and one year with the Rangers.