While the dust has more or less settled with regards to the Mets’ search for a new general manager, Mike Puma of the New York Post is reporting that the team’s early decision to pass on Ben Cherington (former Boston Red Sox GM and current VP of baseball operations for the Toronto Blue Jays) was driven primarily by “philosophical differences.”
Although it has at times been convenient to blame the team’s often-cited disdain for analytics, Puma writes that the front office – intent on winning in 2019 – ultimately decided to steer clear of Cherington, who had been proposing a full-on rebuild. And while it isn’t explicitly mentioned, one can infer that Cherington seemed keen on working with a clean slate – one that most likely would have excluded such familiar names as Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Todd Frazier, and perhaps also could have taken Jacob deGrom out of Queens as well.
The Mets took a different direction instead, looking more seriously into candidates who evidently intended to build around the current core of players. Other names like Thad Levine, Mike Chernoff, and Josh Byrnes saw a fate similar to Cherington in the search process, although it’s not clear whether or not these three held opinions of the team’s future congruent with those of Cherington.
In any case, Puma’s report should serve to be another clear indication that the Mets, at least for now, will try working with the pieces they have as the 2019 season approaches, albeit very slowly. Whether or not they will actively try pushing their team over the top via free agent signings and/or trades is an entirely different question.
