There has been much speculation regarding who the next Mets’ general manager will be.
From Ben Cherington to Mark Shapiro, and even the possibility of one of the three current co-general managers taking the reigns on the role.
However, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Mets’ owner Fred Wilpon and his son, COO Jeff Wilpon, aren’t meeting eye to eye on who they see fit for the role.
The elder Wilpon would like an older, baseball lifer kind of guy with experience in scouting and player development, while Jeff is eyeing someone more analytically savvy, which the tides throughout baseball have shifted to in recent years.
However, Puma adds that the decision will ultimately come down to Fred, who is considering names such as Cardinals director of player development Gary LaRocque, Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, Rays special assistant Bobby Heck and former Marlins GM Dan Jennings, among several other candidates.
This notion has come to the chagrin of other members of the organization.
“Fred is obsessed with the Yankees,” an industry source told Puma. “And yet he doesn’t understand a thing they are doing.”
Puma adds that former Mets’ manager Terry Collins could also have an enhanced role in the organization.
While he won’t be the next GM, he could work close to the next GM or perhaps even oversee all player development, a role he held with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the early part of this century.
