Mets Narrow Down GM Search To Alderson and Byrnes

The Mets have narrowed their search for their next general manager to just two candidates; Josh Byrnes and Sandy Alderson.

Both have been scheduled for a second round of interviews that will be conducted next week and will be attended by Mets CEO Fred Wilpon and President Saul Katz.

Jeff Wilpon issued the following statement this afternoon:

“We are bringing back Josh Byrnes and Sandy Alderson for a second round of interviews with Fred, Saul and me. Josh is scheduled for Monday and Sandy for Tuesday as we continue our search for the next General Manager of the Mets.  John Ricco and I spoke personally with Allard Baird, Rick Hahn, Logan White and Dana Brown earlier today to thank them for their interest and taking the time to interview with us.  We will be back to you with more information regarding our new GM soon.”

The NY Times provides a short bio on both finalists:

The 40-year-old Byrnes is best known for being part of the Boston Red Sox front office that broke the team’s famous title drought by winning the 2004 World Series. He later became general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks in November 2005 and stayed in that position until being fired in July.

The 62-year-old Alderson has been considered the favorite to succeed Omar Minaya ever since the Mets begin conducting their interviews. He was the longtime general manager of the Oakland A’s, has twice served as a deputy to Commissioner Bud Selig, including a current stint as baseball’s troubleshooter in the Dominican Republic, and has also been the president of the San Diego Padres.

It’s almost refreshing and rejuvenating to know that soon the team that we all love will have new leadership in place with a new vision and fresh perspectives.

It’s going to be a lot of fun following the Mets moves this offseason as the new GM undertakes a great challenge and tries to chart a new course for our franchise.