The New York Mets have announced Elizabeth Benn as Director of MLB Operations, per Andy Martino of SNY.

On a day where baseball fans again pray for an end to the current lockout, the Mets have made a significant addition to their front office.

In what is the first major hire of the Billy Eppler regime, Benn is a historic hire given that she is now the highest-ranked female ops employee in franchise history.

Regarded as a baseball lifer, Benn, who was born in Toronto, was previously the Senior Coordinator of Baseball Operations with Major League Baseball, where she played a major role in diversity, equality and inclusion.

Among Benn’s career highlights was the MLB’s Take the Field initiative, which was set up to help create job opportunities for women in areas of the game they are traditionally underrepresented, like coaching, scouting, player development, and baseball operations.

This is a major move for the Mets in a plethora of different ways, and it is a clear statement of intent from owner Steve Cohen that he intends to move the organization away from the controversy it has previously been in.

Not only will Benn’s lofty position potentially open the door for other women, but her experience in fields such as diversity, equality, and inclusion will also be of great benefit to the Mets, so too will her work with various youth programs.

An avid baseball player and the first woman to play in the New York City Metro Baseball League (NYCMBL), Benn joins an ever-growing movement across MLB. She joins Kim Ng, who became the first female GM in MLB history when she was hired by the Miami Marlins in November 2020, and Rachel Balkovec, who recently became the first woman to manage a Major League-affiliated team when she was hired by the Tampa Tarpons.

And, the Mets also played a role in shattering the glass ceiling by recently hiring Gretchen Aucoin to become the first on-field female coach in franchise history.

Benn certainly has plenty of forward-thinking ideas, some of which you can listen to by clicking on the above link, and her hiring cements what is a new-look front office ahead of the 2022 season.