Steve Cohen’s first order of business, once it became clear he would be coming away as the new owner of the New York Mets, was tabbing baseball lifer and former Mets general manager Sandy Alderson as his team president.
Alderson, 72, had his fair share of ups, downs, and behind the scenes power struggles during his first stop in Flushing.
The former ownership group — specifically ousted COO Jeff Wilpon — was notorious for meticulously meddling in baseball operations, which quite often left all parties involved — Sandy, the team, the fans, etc — in an all-too-familiar state of awkwardness.
The penthouse hindrances appear to be over as Cohen takes the reins of the organization, leaving Alderson with full autonomy over a roster that has his fingerprints all over it and the capital available to take things to the next level.
When asked about his expected involvement in on-field decisions, Cohen made it abundantly clear he wouldn’t be making the same missteps as his predecessors.
“Well, you know, I played Little League once; that’s about it. So I’m going to let the professionals — Sandy and the people we bring in — let them run baseball,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll make recommendations to me. It’ll be a collaborative effort.”
With the hot stove slowly but surely approaching that inevitable boiling point, the Mets’ collaborative effort is set to begin in earnest.
Alderson confirmed on Tuesday that the team began its search for a new president of baseball operations on Saturday, interviewing their first of multiple candidates.
“Two things happened on Saturday. We had a new President-elect and I interviewed my first candidate for president of baseball operations. So we’re already on our way. We’re already involved in that process.”
“That was one interview. There will be others. We’re currently evaluating exactly how many and who we will pursue. But this shouldn’t take a long time […] We understand it’s important to get people in place. In the meantime, I’ve got a small but very capable group remaining. We talk every morning for an hour or so.”
As for who or what is next in this process, a wait-and-see approach will likely be the course of action. Though, as implied, it doesn’t appear the Mets will be waiting too long.
John Ricco, a stalwart of Alderson’s previous regime in Queens, is certainly an internal candidate for the position. One name that has been floated is A’s assistant general manager and talent evaluator-extraordinaire, Billy Owens, who worked with Alderson for many years in Oakland.
We’ll keep you updated with any new information as it becomes available.
