Sandy Alderson officially started on Friday with the Mets as team president, but he had a six-week head start to plan for the new front office.
This suggests that he threw the Mets into an offshore to implement his plan for president of baseball operations and general manager, which could include free-agents such as Trevor Bauer, JT Realmuto and George Springer. A source in the club said that a half-hearted task to elect the new president of the United States could be swift.
Alderson announced the first role in his new role, with GM Brody Van Wagenen and assistants Allard Baird and Adam Guttridge as well as director of player development Jared Banner and special assistant Omar Minaya.
If a winning pedigree is a necessary criterion for Alderson’s new hire, there may not be a better starting place than Cleveland’s front office with a pair of highly regarded officials: Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff.
Under Antoinetti’s front-office leadership, the Indians have reached the postseason five times, and came within a win to end the 2016 World Series title in a franchise that was dry in the 1948 dates.
Chernoff, who holds the GM title with the Indians, was considered when the Mets’ job opened after the 2018 season, but declined to be interviewed with the club. Chernoff, whose father, Mark, is a longtime programming executive with WFAN, found the job more appealing to new boss Steve Cohen with a deep pocket in the game.
Cohen, 64, completed his purchase of the club on Friday, and is the richest owner of MLB so far, with an estimated net worth of $ 14 billion.
After initial indications that the Rays ‘Bobby Heck was playing for the top spot, an industry source on Saturday indicated that he would not be the Mets’ choice. It is unclear whether the Hex Mets are likely to assume another role within the new front office.
The 54-year-old Heck has spent the last eight seasons with the Rays as a special assistant, contributing to a front office that is considered among baseball’s best and brightest.
Heck previously worked with the Astros as scouting director, overseeing the draft, which included Springer, Carlos Correa and JD Martinez.
Race GM Eric Neander, the architect of the team that lost to the Dodgers in the World Series, would be a big fish. But there are questions about whether Kiran will allow owner Stu Sternberg (according to one source, he is not particularly fond) to hunt Cohen, the Nehander.
Other names that could gain traction include athletics assistant GM Billy Owens, Diamondbacks assistant GM Amil Savade, Royals assistant GM Scott Sharp and JP Ricciardi, who have worked Alderson twice. Another potential candidate is John Ricco, who served as interim GM following Alderson’s departure in 2018.
Friday’s purse at the Mets organization was not unexpected for many, given that Van Wagenen, Baird, Gutteridge and Banner were all imported after Alderson’s resignation as GM in 2018. The toughest call for Alderson may be Minaya, a former Mets GM. Returned after the 2016 season to help the organization’s international scouting. But Minia’s hiring was forced upon Wilson by Alderson, a mark against him during the regime change.
For those who survived, Alderson, who has served as the team’s GM for the 7 to season, is back to oversee the organization.
“I don’t respect Sandy more than all the people I’ve been around,” said a team official. “He’s just that type of person.”
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