The Mets President of Baseball Operations search has officially transitioned past pipe dream candidates. Now, the focus is on lesser known names that don’t make the same splash owner Steve Cohen wants. The question becomes, why can’t a team with the deepest pockets in baseball attract top candidates?
Team president Sandy Alderson has led the search. Alderson has been responsible for the hirings of Jared Porter, Zack Scott, and Mickey Callaway. This track record doesn’t inspire confidence.
In addition, some believe Cohen’s public persona is an issue. A follow-up to previous reports of opposing executives not being fond of his Twitter usage.
Questions are now raised about Sandy Alderson’s and his son, Bryn, involvement.
Text I received from a baseball source on the Mets front office search, “Who is going to want to sign up to be the meat in an Alderson sandwich.”
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) October 20, 2021
Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic expanded on this topic. She points out the curious timing of Bryn Alderson’s promotion to assistant general manager this summer.
Sandy Alderson has said his preference would be to transition fully to the business side. But there is skepticism within the industry that it would even be feasible, and some in the game have pointed out that Bryn is now in a high-ranking position on the baseball side regardless. The dynamic of having a high-powered father-son duo is a potentially concerning component for any new front-office hire, one that sources say has adversely come into play before in the Mets’ current organizational structure. Who, some wonder, would really hold the power to make organizational decisions?
Alderson declined to talk specifics with Ghiroli about the president of baseball operations search. Regarding him and his son with high-ranking positions, Alderson said it “will not be an issue, I can assure you.”
Mike Puma of the New York Post listed new names on the Mets radar. Some candidates like Josh Byrnes and Brandon Gomes of the Dodgers have been known but Matt Arnold of the Brewers, Scott Harris of the Giants, and Peter Bendix of the Rays are new to the discussion.
“The Mets are in a tough spot, because I don’t think fans are going to buy into them bringing in another unknown,” a rival executive said Tuesday. “I see some of those names that are mentioned, and nothing against them, but a lot of them are just new guys and you hire new guys, you are going to go through the same thing again.”
And the Mets job isn’t for an inexperienced hire. They’ll have to take over a baseball operations staff that has already been in place and not be afraid to make the changes necessary to point the Mets in the direction they want. Ultimately, it may be where the Mets settle.
