The 2021 league year officially came to a close when the Atlanta Braves won the World Series. (The Mets are now the only NL East team to not win a World Series in the 21st century.) With that came a drove of news in terms of player personnel as the 2022 league years gets under way, as well as some routine disappointments with regards to the Mets’ front office search.
Let’s look at what went on this week.
Scott’s Gone
The biggest news of the week was the Mets’ decision to not bring Zack Scott back to their front office.
Scott had been on administrative leave since mid-August when he was arrested for an alleged DUI. His court date for that charge isn’t until December 8, and it was assumed Scott would be in limbo up until then.
The Mets made the decision this week, though, to not bring Scott back for next season. He served as the team’s acting general manager for the 2021 season after Jared Porter was fired for misconduct in past roles. Scott could have returned to an assistant general manager role–the role he was originally hired for back in in 2020–under a new administration, whomever may be leading it, but the Mets decided against that.
More Denials: Part Infinity
Speaking of the Mets front office, it was another week of denials from candidates for the Mets top front office job. This week, the following reportedly either declined an interview or pulled their name out of the running:
- Red Sox executive Raquel Ferreira
- Orioles assistant general manager Sig Mejdal
- Twins executive Daniel Adler
- Yankees executive Jean Afterman
So who’s left in the search? A couple names remaining are Braves assistant GM Ben Sestanovich and Cardinals assistant GM Randy Flores (the same Randy Flores from the 2006 Cardinals team). There have also been reports the Mets met with former Angels GM Billy Eppler, though it wasn’t an official interview.
Free Agents
Once the league year ended after the World Series, a litany of Mets became free agents. Those include the likes of Marcus Stroman, Michael Conforto, Noah Syndergaard, Aaron Loup, Javier Baez and others. The Mets had a total of 11 players become free agents.
On top of that, both Kevin Pillar and the Mets declined the option on Pillar’s deal for 2022, so he became a free agent, as well. (The Mets paid him a $1.4 million buyout.)
Robinson Cano was reinstated to the team after serving a 162-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance this week, too. The Mets didn’t have to pay him in 2021, but he now has two years and $48 million left on his contract, though the team is only on the hook for $40.5 million of that.
With all healthy players reinstated from the 60-day injured list (Jacob deGrom, Thomas Szapucki, David Peterson), along with Cano, the Mets’ 40-man roster now sits at 32 players. There will probably be plenty more additions and subtractions from this roster across the offseason.
Qualifying Offers
Both Michael Conforto and Noah Syndergaard were extended the qualifying offer by the Mets Saturday night. They have 10 days (until November 16) to accept the offer, which is set at $18.4 million for 2022.
Conforto is expected to decline the offer (they’ll get a compensatory pick if he signs elsewhere) and Syndergaard expressed he’d be “grateful” to receive the offer after his missing basically all of 2020 and 2021 due to Tommy John surgery.
What Comes Next?
Well, immediately, Francisco Lindor could win a Gold Glove Award this evening.
After that, the GM meetings in Carlsbad, California, are this week from Tuesday to Thursday. Tim Healey reported the Mets aren’t expected to make a front office hire before the meetings, meaning Sandy Alderson will lead the front office triumvirate of himself, Ian Levin and Bryn Alderson to California. (The latter two took over the acting GM role from Scott when he was placed on leave.)
The GM meetings are certainly a place the Mets want to lay groundwork for trades this offseason. Some potential names to target are Jose Ramirez, Matt Chapman and Sonny Gray.
