New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson has been diagnosed with cancer and is facing 8 to 12 weeks of chemotherapy the team announced on Friday. The Mets would not expand on the type of cancer, but did say it was treatable.
Obviously, Sandy will not attend the Winter Meetings as he battles through this. In his place Assistant GM John Ricco, Terry Collins, J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta will lead the Mets contingent at the Winter Meetings next week in Nashville.
Alderson, 68, was hired by the Mets following the 2010 season. He guided the team to a 90-72 record this season which saw the Mets win the NL East and go onto to the World Series for the first time since 2000.
A statement from Mets COO Jeff Wilpon read:
“As you know, Sandy went in for a medical procedure three weeks ago. Surgery was performed at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York and as a result of that procedure, the doctors confirmed that Sandy has cancer. The doctors believe and have told Sandy that the cancer is very treatable and are optimistic about a full recovery.”
“Sandy will continue with his GM responsibilities throughout the treatments, although of course, there will be days he may not be in the office. In the meantime, Sandy’s team and I will be coordinating closely with him and keeping him up to date on all baseball matters.”
So sad and shocking to hear. Before Thanksgiving I reached out and asked Jay Horwitz about Sandy after not hearing any word from him since he missed the GM Meetings to undergo a medical procedure.
The Mets VP of Media Relations would only tell me that he’d pass along my thoughts and well wishes but wouldn’t tell me anything more regarding his health.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sandy for a full and speedy recovery.
