WEDNESDAY, 5:08 pm: Jon Morosi of MLB.com also hears that Cromie is the frontrunner to land the position. Alderson told reporters (including Janes) that no decision has been finalized yet, however, and said multiple candidates remain.
WEDNESDAY, 11:10am: Cromie and Cohen met face-to-face Tuesday night, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. According to Sherman, “The expectation was that if that meeting went well that Cromie would be made an offer to be the Mets general manager.”
TUESDAY, 2:48pm: Cromie has a “real shot” to be named the Mets’ next general manager, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The team’s interest in him is “serious,” tweets SNY’s Andy Martino, though he also adds that there are still a few other candidates in the mix.
12:25pm: After weeks of courting high-profile executives to step in as president of baseball operations, the Mets are now focused on hiring a general manager, Sandy Alderson told reporters Tuesday (Twitter links via Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News).
It’s an important distinction in terms of title, even if the end result — bringing someone into the organization to oversee baseball operations — is largely the same. Focusing on a general manager rather than a president role further signals that the Mets will be zeroing in on executives who are at the assistant GM level rather than mining other clubs in hopes of prying away an existing GM or president of baseball ops, as they’d previously sought to do. Alderson emphasized that he does not believe the Mets will get to the point where he runs baseball operations himself (Twitter link via Newsday’s Tim Healey) — a role to which he does not wish to return.
Focusing on the AGM ranks broadens the field of possibilities for the Mets, although it also means the Mets may settle on a less-experienced baseball ops leader than originally hoped. That’s not necessarily inevitable, however; there are plenty of former GMs in non-GM roles around the sport. Dodgers senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes, for instance, has been a rumored candidate and previously served as GM of two different NL West clubs (Padres, D-backs).
Alderson declined to put a timeline on the search’s outcome but did note that a managerial hire likely wouldn’t be made until a new baseball operations leader is in place. Alderson’s hope, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets, is that they’ve already spoken to the candidate they’ll eventually hire. As for the struggles in terms of making this hire, Alderson rather candidly acknowledged that there’s been a struggle (video link via SNY).
“In some cases, we haven’t gotten permission [to interview a candidate with another organization],” Alderson said. “In some cases, I think people are comfortable where they are — whether it be a family situation or something professional. And in other cases, I think, admittedly, there’s a reluctance to come to New York — but I think it’s mostly about New York and not about [owner Steve Cohen], or the organization. It’s a big stage, and some people would just prefer to be elsewhere.”
One possible name that has recently emerged is that of former Nationals assistant GM Adam Cromie. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports (via Twitter) that Cromie is “in the mix” of candidates for the vacancy. He stepped away from the Nationals and from baseball in general back in 2017 to work at a law firm in Pittsburgh, per Janes. The Post’s Barry Svrluga notes that Cromie joined the Nats out of grad school and rose through the front-office ranks while putting himself through law school in the evenings before eventually deciding to fully pursue that legal career.
The Mets "Missed WAR"
The Mets are focused on hiring anybody for anything at this point. No one wants the job. I guess this means Alderson is going to remain the Mets PoBO. That’s bad news for Mets fans.
mets7300
Nobody WHOSE LAZY
NEED APPLY ….
The Mets "Missed WAR"
The Mets should have just dropped Alderson and let Theo Epstein take over his job. Let Theo run the team. I know they said he didn’t want to be there but that’s most likely because they weren’t going to give him as much control and/or money he was asking for. After hiring Theo as PoBO hire Lunhow as GM and then Beltran as manager. Don’t worry about the optics. Everyone will stop caring if they start winning and those 3 give the Mets the best chance to win. No one cares that the Red Sox are managed by Alex Cora anymore. No one cares about AJ Hinch managing the Tigers either. Epstein, Lunhow and Beltran would give the Mets the best chance to win. If they are still to afraid to go after Beltran they could try Ron Washington or Buck Showalter. Beltran would probably be the best choice. Everyone is calling out the Mets front office hires for scandals anyway. At this point just embrace it and say, “Who cares? We are going to do what we feel gives us the best chance to win no matter what outsiders say.”
BPax
Pee Wee Herman seems like a good fit. Or George Costanza. It’s the Mets after all. “Come on out and greet the Mets…come on out and beat the Mets….”
alproof
Brilliant, Yankee. What brains.
Ma4170
My team frustrates me yet again… how do they not see that having Alderson there means nobody would want the job bc they really wouldn’t be running baseball ops… I still don’t know why they brought him back in the first place… if the optics on Cohen were that bad, there was no other way to account for that without bringing back someone who was mediocre at best?
mlb fan
“I still don’t know why they brought him back”,,,,They brought him back, because Alderson is a baseball lifer with insider connections and uber billionaire Cohen would not have been able to buy the team without some sort of insider connections to the brain trust and league office that is MLB.
dodger1958
No actual evidence that Alderson was mandated. That is opinion and speculation. Until either he or a Cohen confirm I don’t buy it.
Ma4170
Let me rephrase… I don’t know why he’s still w the org now that the deal is done and first year in the books
NYMetsFanatic
I completely agree with this. In addition, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the fans forget how amped they were with the team going into spring training last year with the personnel that they had acquired during the off-season. The second things go south, they turn on everyone and everything. There are always going to be issues to face. The oft injuries have to be addressed this year, amongst other things. I feel like Cohen needs to shelf this for now and start signing FAs before all the prime candidates are already taken. But other than that; stop your b.s. cancel culture just because you’re an impatient crybaby.
Cosmo2
No proof; the evidence is that he was a mandate put on the Mets the last time there was ownership stuff going on. The assumption is that this is the case now also.
citizen
Mets keep acquiring players on paper with previous team did well but as a met did poorly. Thats more on the manager than the gm. How to manage
24 egos at one time. its on the gm when they sell the farm for them.
Mets had high expectations going into 2021 and the year and with van wegamon getting a closer with a lot of saves on a bad team and that steroid ss..
Cosmo2
I don’t think the manager has control over player performance like that.
dodger1958
What is the actual evidence of a previous mandate? Curious.
bravesiowafan
Can’t really blame anyone for not wanting to walk into that pr nightmare, let alone the fact it’s a New York team
Bill M
Good point. Nobody wants to work for any New York team. It’s amazing that there are sports teams in New York that have any employees at all
Samuel
@ Bill M;
What’s really amazing is all the money they spend on salaries and how few times those teams actually win championships.
bravesiowafan
I mean NY has the most media coverage by far, expectation are higher by far, and that’s without all of the issues the Mets have had for years now. That seems to me as a much more work heavy gm load than any other club besides the Yankees. And that’s all under the intense scope of the media constantly. That’s clearly a big deal or so many ppl wouldn’t hesitate for this job opening.
Ducky Buckin Fent
About 20 years – or so – ago, I had the same sort of simplistic take as yours, @Sam.
Ya know: “spend lot money free agent make for win world series or they bad” kinda stuff.
Since then, both my baseball acumen & my understanding of finances has grown considerably. Teams like the Yankees, LAD, & the sox aren’t necessarily spending in order to “win a world series”. Definitely not anymore. Rather, these clubs (2 with “modern” FO’s) spend money to ensure a perpetuity of 95-100 win clubs. They’d all love to win a championship. But that isn’t really the onus.
First: 29 teams don’t win a championship every single year. Because: baseball is hard, bro!
Second: now I had the Braves coming out of the NL in preseason (had the Yanks in the AL). So, out of stubbornness I picked ATL in every series. But. Had I been putting $$ on it…well, I’d’ve bet *against* them. Every round! They got hot at the right time. Which is exactly what NYY, LAD, & the sox are hoping to do themselves, uh?
& that’s the deal.
These Big Market clubs are just playing the odds by having a tourney entrant every year. & don’t forget: the real loot is in playoff bucks.
Hopefully, this will help your understanding of modern baseball.
tstats
Ducky you amaze me with your wisdom
dodger1958
Ducky the real loot is the TV contract. The annual value place on the TV deal the LAD have with Spectrum (Time Warner) is about $325 million. Good for another 16 or 17 more years.
Ducky Buckin Fent
@tsats-
I can’t tell if you are being sarcastic or not.
If you are: yeah, I get it, man. If not…well, thanks. But mostly I have just had the opportunity to do a lot of different things in this life. Any “wisdom” I could possibly have would be merely a matter of experience & being able to express that in words.
Ducky Buckin Fent
Fair enough, @’58.
Allow me to rephrase that, please. A playoff series is worth an 8 figure influx of real, usable dollars (KC & Cleveland both increased payroll due to this after their postseasons runs).
So. How about: “& don’t forget the most profitable games for a club are playoff games.” Better?
Tomas7
I guess Alderson is protecting his son’s job with the Mets; Otherwise, I think Alderson is doing his best for Cohen.
Yoshis Javelin
@TheMets”MissedWar” please read the article below from 2017 and then try to make the argument that the Mets are ‘hiring anybody for anything’ You will be hard pressed to do so. This guy would be a good candidate for any teams GM job, and it’s fortunate for the Mets that he is considering coming back to Baseball. The article also reminded me when Theo Epstein was with the Padres he was in law school at the suggestion of his mentor Larry Lucchino. Having a law background is good, and from the looks of it this guy is a baseball guy who loves the game. Mets fans should feel lucky if the Mets are able to bring him in.
cbssports.com/mlb/news/meet-the-man-who-was-to-bec…
Buckner
100%
The Mets "Missed WAR"
@Falken: Interesting read. I didn’t know all that about Cromie. To be fair my comment wasn’t really about him as it was all these articles we keep reading about the Mets interviewing so many people. I have nothing against Cromie. Maybe they hire him and he does a great job. I haven’t seen any great moves he’s taken part in so far but he seems to have all the makings of someone who could become a great GM.
Yoshis Javelin
@TheMets”MissedWar”, the Mets and disappointment just seem to hold each other near and dear. Performance regression on the field (Smith, McNeil, Lindor, Conforto, Davis, McCann, Peterson) is startling, There is a coaching and culture issue at the field level. Performance questons in the leadership (Alderson, Porter, Scott, Cohen). For the former, the coaching staff were either being lead by poor analytic intelligence, had poor coaching skills, lost the clubhouse, or all three. For the latter, Sandy Alderson has had a long career, but a championship in 1989 with the bash brothers is hardly relevant, he’s had his time, Porter and Scott have enviable baseball operations skills but lack personal judgement skills, and Cohen is failing to understand the difference between a boardroom that he can control and the vast arena of MLB players and fans which he cannot. Letting go of the manager and most of the coaches is half of a good move (hiring better ones is the other half), Cromie as a GM could be another good move. Those alone though probably won’t change the culture but its a start. On the other hand, if MLB has 100 million fans, about 97 million of them sure do like to LOL at the Mets antics, and only 3 million Mets fans have to deal with the disappointment……..
Al Hirschen
Heyman:; Sandy Alderson was expected to move to become Mets president on the business side only but he admitted his baseball involvement will depend on the level of experience of the new GM. If they hire Adam Cromie, who’s been out of MLB since 2017, expect Alderson to be very involved.
meckert
Of course, our conspiracy loving commentators won’t believe a word of what Alderson said. Such is life on Fantasy Island.
baseballpun
Q for GM.
Gothamcityriddler
Alderson to Cohen- “Look boss da GM, the GM!” Ahahaha!
downsr30
I think they will just bandaid it until Stearns is available next offseason.
User 163535993
I’m a Chicago fan but why would Stearns want to leave a great situation in Milwaukee with an indoor/outdoor stadium to be part of Alderson’s newest freak show? He’d have to be clinically insane. LMAO
fisher40
The Brewers are in the process of giving Stearns a contract extension probably before spring training in February. Stearns isn’t going anywhere in the forseable future.
DarkSide830
Holy cripes they just full on gave up. LMAO.
MetsFan22
The Phillies should rebuild if I’m being honest with you
Monkey’s Uncle
If the rest of us are being honest, your honesty is a very rose-colored honesty, a Mets-tinted view of things. So it actually isn’t especially honest. Well meaning, perhaps, but not honest.
Bill Kane
At least they have a president of baseball ops. You really are not credible giving advice about other teams when your team is a joke. Giving Lindor 340 million is going to go down as the worst contract in baseball history.
traveling man
I’m a Mets fan and didn’t like the trade!
And THEN the contract before he even played a game in New York!
NYMetsFanatic
Neither did I. I was sick over it.
SalaryCapMyth
LOL! You should WISH the Mets could rebuild but with Lindors contract hanging on the team, you have several more years of failure and mediocrity to go through BEFORE you get to go through those four or five rebuild seasons of 90-100 losses.
VonPurpleHayes
MetsFan22 The Phillies have problems, but they’ve been better than the Mets the last two seasons. I think they have a better pitching staff and better lineup. The Mets have a better bullpen and are better defensively. Both clubs have significant holes.
I think the Mets need a rebuild more than the Phillies, simply because of age, but I really don’t think either squad needs to rebuild. They’re both not tremendously far away. They’re both going to spend money to plug holes.
darkstar61
Mets will have had 5 GMs in the time between the 2020 WS and 2022 opening day. They do not have a POBO or Mgr, and face one of the tougher offseasons with 7 guys making roughly half the payroll. No one else currently under contract, with I believe a 2nd highest in MLB, 12 players filing for FA. Add to it a bottom 10 system, so reinforcements are not on the way
Yes, the Mets should rebuild. Tear it down in a Marlins like fashion even. But they can’t; theres no one to do it, and the owner is promising the opposite
Can’t spend their way out of their problem though – they’ll just become the Angels. So they better hire some people fast that can come up with a plan. Right now it appears 2022 will likely be a wasted season if they don’t
MetsFan22
The only reason the Phillies did better last year was bc of injuries. Don’t get mistaken lol
MarlinsFanBase
And here is @MetsFa22’s injury excuse again.
I guess it’s a good thing that a team like the Braves didn’t lose their best player, another one of their big bats, and some key starting pitchers. If they had any injuries of that magnitude, there is no way they would win the World Series.
Good thing the Marlins had no injuries to combine with a disaster of a bullpen. Had that happened, they would’ve finished a lot farther behind the Mets.
Oh wait….Skip what I said about the Braves and Marlins above.
VonPurpleHayes
Phillies had some big injuries too. Don’t get mistaken.
When it was a game.
Not really sure what Phillies problem is. They looked good the few times I saw them. Just need to put it together someway.
VonPurpleHayes
Defense. Offensive depth. Those are the major issues. Bullpen of course, but that will improve with defense.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
“That’s only because injuries hurt the Mets.”
DarkSide830
…and?
MLB Top 100 Commenter
Cart first, horse second, no surprise here.
Appalachian_Outlaw
They should probably just hire a head grounds-keeper, then let that person hire the POBO. I mean could they really do worse? Lol
Mario93
If deGrom and Thor are healthy next year, they’ll have a chance to compete. Those two have to lead the way, lead that rotation, and they’ll have a chance next year to be competitive. If they bring Stroman back, the rotation would possibly be that much better. Once again the top two guys have to stay healthy.
padam
That’s if Thor accepts the QO, otherwise he is potentially gone as well.
NYMetsFanatic
He’s far too much of a question mark not to accept the QO. I really doubt he’d make more this coming season if he tested the open market instead.
SalaryCapMyth
The potential of deGrom/Thor vs the reality of it. Which seems to play out every season?
kodiak920
You said it, brother.
Dustyslambchops23
I’d put a 320 inning ceiling for both of them combined. Not sure how that will carry the team.
Samuel
What is with this “Thor” thing?
When is the time that guy had a solid year? Sure, he looks overpowering in stretches. but to read posts on here for 3 years running from Mets fans about how he’s going to dominate is getting old.
DanzigInTheDark
Syndergaard has pitched 718 career innings, has an ERA of 3.32, and averages 9.74 K/9. There are 22 other players in MLB history who have that low of an ERA & a K/9 above 9.5 in 700+ career innings, and more than half of them are relievers. If you winnow it down to just career starters, you’ve got 10 other guys with that kinda production. Pretty sure getting your name mentioned with those guys counts as a couple of “solid years”.
Rsk3228
They probably won’t put an average season of work on him after TJ.
MarlinsFanBase
@dannibalcorpse
Easy to compare the numbers of a guy through 718 career innings to guys who have pitched complete careers with a couple thousand innings…which include declines at the ends of their careers.
Try again.
Syndergaard is overrated. Always has been.
Ducky Buckin Fent
@Samuel –
For real. Be straight up. Seeing as how your HOTTAKES are generally completely backwards, I have to ask: is that just some kind of next level trolling stuff?
I’d think it was hilarious if it is, as you’ve gotten me on it a few times.
So…??
whyhayzee
Teams build good pitching staffs in different ways. The Rays had four pitchers throw over 100 innings and three of them had ERA over 5 and yet they led the league in pitching. They used dozens of arms.
I think you need 5 or 6 guys who can start and 10 bullpen arms and that’s just the beginning. You might as well have your whole minor league system on call or be making trades from the get go.
It’s not a marathon anymore, it’s not even a 10k, it’s a relay with a new runner every darn block. Boring as hell and not my game of baseball but that’s what it is.
Ducky Buckin Fent
It’s definitely a different game.
In some ways, it’s like if “3 yards & a cloud of dust” was the ultimate evolution of football, uh? Bet it wouldn’t be as popular today if that were the case.
& I come from a, “you finish what you start” mentality myself. May have learned some of that as a kid on the hill. But rather than pine for the Good Ole Days – or whatever – I try to really understand the logic behind all of it. I have found that to be pretty entertaining. & it has certainly allowed me to still be a fan.
Or whatever.
Appalachian_Outlaw
I think with the evolution of pitching that 165 innings out of a starter is a good year anymore. Everyone is going max effort for the max velo, and you just see so many more injuries. Plus teams don’t want a SP going through an opposing order a third time.
I don’t love it but it is what it is.
I’m not sure some team won’t reach a point where they only run three “starters” who pitch 2-3 innings and the position almost becomes obsolete.
LordD99
No, Sandy. It’s mostly about you and your son. The new GM needs autonomy, but instead will be sandwiched between a father and son tag team.
Orel Saxhiser
Wow, he actually said it’s not about Cohen or the organization.
Translation: It’s about Cohen and/or the organization.
4Quarters
Usually what the unsolicited denial means.
RobM
It would have been really awkward, though, if Alderson said it was about himself.
4Quarters
Awkward or intensely self-aware?
Monkey’s Uncle
I just picture the Mets’ PR representative just off camera face-palming when Anderson said that.
Orel Saxhiser
What makes you think they have PR representatives?
Monkey’s Uncle
Good point. And if they do, they should be looking for new ones.
MarlinsFanBase
If you doubt the existence of Mets PR representatives, always remember that their team and players are almost always overrated with a bunch of Mets Hyperbole. If that doesn’t prove the existence of a team having PR representatives, I don’t know what does.
Bob333
It’s the Mets fans that do that not PR people.
Milwaukee-2208
lol mets
whyhayzee
Maybe the Mets should go to a temp agency and get a rent-a-gm for now.
Robrock30
They should have hired Brian Sabean who might have also brought Bruce Bochy with him. Too much winning with the Giants and Yankees scouting & development for Loser Alderson. Mets need to take Alderson out back like Old Yeller and Clean House of Wilpon holdovers.
Orel Saxhiser
Sabean never said he’d take the job. He said he’d listen.
Pete'sView
You don’t know if Sabean/Bochy are good choices, nor if they want the jobs. Everything is spin. And ridiculously simplified. I’m a Giants fan and a Mets fan second, and I KNOW that I don’t know.
Metsin777
Its obvoius that Alderson doesn’t want to give up his position as PoBO. Cohen needs to kick him out and just give complete control to top gms in the game
Samuel
@ Metsin7;
You don’t get it……..
Things are the way they are in a business because that’s the way the owner(s) want it. i.e. ‘The Golden Rule’- He/She with the gold……rules.
Cohen is a fan and he wants to be the final authority on the makeup of the roster, who the manager and coaches are, etc. I think he believes he can figure this MLB stuff out in a little time, just like he has his other businesses.
I ran a department for a billionaire owner. It was a terrible experience for me (and others). I learned that no one – including the authorities – tells a billionaire what to do with something they own.
Alderson and his son will keep an eye on any POBO or GM or Mishymashy or whatever you want to call him/her that undermines Mr. Cohen by attempting to do the job they thought they were hired to do without getting Mr. Cohen’s seal of approval.
This will go on for at least a few more years.
Dorothy_Mantooth
Once again the Mets are doing things bass ackwards. Most POBO’s want to hire their own GMs and managers. Now they may not even be able to hire a POBO, going directly to a GM hire instead and I assume he/she will hire the manager too. Good luck finding a POBO who’s coming into a situation where the management team can not be replaced and where Sandy & Son are looking over your shoulder day in and day out. No wonder nobody wants this job. Why don’t they just go full Alderson: move Sandy’s son into the GM role and take it from there. It might be their only viable option while Sandy is still handling the POBO duties.
Monkey’s Uncle
I’ve seen Jackson Pollock paintings that were more organized than this GM search.
whyhayzee
Well, apparently Pollock did draw their org chart.
Josh5890
I guess I shouldn’t complain too much about the Ricketts.
It could always be worse.
SportsFan0000
Rickets are using team revenues to stuff their pockets.
There fire sale and lack of spending will be for 5= YEARS
Cohens_Wallet
Ignoramus comments section.
30 Parks
‘Instead of seeking six roses, we are now focused on acquiring half-a-dozen roses.’
Monkey’s Uncle
More like dandelions at this point.
sox4ever
Going to trick someone to take GM just to promote them a week later to PBO
padam
Anderson needs to go. He was the right fit when the Wilpons were going through tough times, but now with an owner who has deep pockets, it’s a different strategy. Cohen also needs to step back a bit otherwise the Mets are going to look like the Jets – billionaire owners thinking they’re running fantasy baseball/football teams.
NYMetsFanatic
YES. I completely agree with this.
Jremy4evah
Been reading forever finally subscribed glad to be here have loved reading all you guys and a Mets story came up and I knew comments would be flying Im a red sox fan live in Boston but love baseball happy to be here with you all!
bbatardo
OK fine I will take the job… nevermind.
kodiak920
I thought you took your name out of consideration, earlier.
jints1
The Mets job is desirable but Cohen and Alderson have pursued entrenched folks. Others don’t want to move to the NYC area. It’s desirable since there is a good core of players and an owner willing to spend. Alderson should take his time and get an up and coming individual to hand the reins to in a year. I’d take the job in a heartbeat.
GASoxFan
Except it’s not necessarily THAT desirable:
Strike one – it’s in NYC. You’ve got the trifecta of living density, taxation, and politics that many are turned off by. It takes a certain breed to be willing to live with that, and families complicate it further.
Strike two – the market. Fanbase, media, owner. Plenty of people don’t want to deal with all that. Especially knowing you need to retool if not rebuild to make a successful run. There’s plenty of hostility while dealing with that poison.
Strike three – two aldersons. Having senior trying to stick is fingers in everything is bad enough. Having the son right beneath you skulking about and reporting back to daddy while having his eye on your job the whole time is worse.
Samuel
You missed out the control freak owner, but you are spot on with what you wrote!
They should hire a Mets fan that posts here to be whatever that job is called. He/She can schmooze with the media and baste in the pub, every once in a while try to get an appointment with an assistant to Cohen, Sandy or his son to find out what decisions he/she just made. Sort of like an in-place politician in an 1930’s movie…..or the current one in DC.
padam
@GASoxFan
Strike 1 – politics? When did that ever come into play? Gotta say that’s funny. As for taxation, may I remind you of the 5 teams that currently reside in California and which doesn’t seem to be an issue.
Strike 2 – NYC has always been that way. It’s not like anything has changed.
Strike 3 – complete agreement. They need to go. Sandy was good for the Wilpon’s, but the strategy has changed.
DonOsbourne
The fact that they are handling this situation in such a public way is hard to understand. They really wouldn’t need to be issuing any kind of denials if they hadn’t insisted on conducting the whole search under the glaring light of the press. Every announcement is more ominous and less appealing to potential candidates. I think the Jets comparison is perfect.
Camden453
Problem has been the Mets like the core they have (DeGrom, Syndergaard, Diaz, Alonso, Lindor, Nimmo). Most GMs probably want to blow it up and rebuild but neither Cohen or anyone else in the Mets FO want to give up on it
Could be part of the reason nobody wants to deal with it. They want to start from scratch and bring in their own players
Dustyslambchops23
Fair but what would blowing it up entail. Degrom and Thor don’t have much value in bringing prospects back due to healthy, and no one is touching the Lindor contract.
So they don’t really have a lot of pieces to truly blow things up, not a great situation for a GM to come in to. Especially one that already has a job
GASoxFan
IMO the ‘blowing it up’ is less about trading assets and more about treading water while churning high volumes of roster transactions to seek prospects or young controllable guys where you can build some farm stock…
In other words, chaim bloom style. Don’t try to win, don’t go all out reinforcing your roster holes, go for cheap and rough diamond style players you hope to make something out of. Every 75 or 100 transactions you get a hit.
For fans who see a current core you could build around it’s infuriating. In the case of Boston, he blew up GG defense and refused to work on pitching. That’s why the team fell short, so multiple seasons of a strong core worth of players went wasted treading water. The pundits rank the farm stronger, although the whole ‘points system’skews without counting predecessors players developing to not as great again.
You do that in NYC and it’d be even worse received by Mets fans/ownership.
VonPurpleHayes
As much as the Mets get a lot of deserved and undeserved hate, they aren’t tremendously far away. They don’t even need any big splashy moves. Just solid depth signings. Of course Cohen may chase the headlines instead.
Camden453
They need young pitching and a deeper farm system. Takes five years minimum
They can still maybe make the playoffs with a thin but top heavy organization but usually it doesn’t work out
They’re caught in between and it’s the worst position to be in. Can’t blow it up but also can’t rebuild. Nobody wants that situation
Only real way to proceed is sign free agents and keep adding in the draft
VonPurpleHayes
Yup. Phillies and Mets are in the same boat. That’s what happens when you have a perennial division winner in your division. The Braves are always the cream of the crop with the other teams just chasing them.
darkstar61
The Braves were 43-42 when playing teams outside the NL East
For comparison, the Rockies were also 43-42 when playing outside their division
It’s not even that Atlanta is that great. The problem is the other teams are so dysfunctional that Atlanta is allowed to look that way
Philadelphia had the easiest schedule imaginable to end the year and sat just a few games behind at the start of the stretch. New York led the division for 103 days. There was no reason Atlanta should have even made the playoffs, the fact the Phillies and Mets chocked so hard allowed it to happen
VonPurpleHayes
I think the Braves were a different team post-deadline. The Phillies too, but to a lesser extent. So while your choke theory isn’t without merit, I also think it doesn’t take into account how well the Braves played in the later half of the season. They rebuilt their outfield and looked like one of the better teams in baseball. The Phillies too removed themselves from the mediocrity of the NL East towards the 2nd half of the season, but in typical Phillies fashion they fell right back into it towards the close of the season. Also the Phillies schedule doesn’t matter. Half the time they’re beating themselves. As a fan, I have the same level of worry playing the Dodgers that I do when the Phillies are playing the Diamondbacks. The Phillies can beat the best teams in baseball and get rocked by the worst. It’s just the way they are.
LarryJ4
It’s about the “whole package” at this point. For one, I live in NY, this state, especially eastern side of the state, is deplorable. Politics have run this state down to almost utter chaos at this point. For 2, the owner is delusional. And 3 if it didn’t work the first time with Alderson NO CHANCE it’s gonna work again. Oh and 4, the roster is flawed to almost every aspect. No chance anyone with an actual resume will go here. If they do they’re flawed and it’s a perfect match. Maybe all these negatives will make a right. Might as well throw physics at this roster in hopes of fixes such a dumpster fire.
Cohens_Wallet
Thank God everyone has an opinion.
kodiak920
Mets are going to do Mets things.
Grade_1_teacher
Like hire drunks and perverts.
sfgiantsguy
This has become embarrassing for the Mets. People don’t want the pressure of the New York market? Hogwash. Anyone worth their salt would love the challenge of bringing a New York team like the Mets to perennial contender status,
This is about Cohen and Alderson, period. There’s only so many PoBO jobs in the Majors and you’re telling me they can’t find ONE person to take that job? Huge red flag.
Appalachian_Outlaw
That’s precisely it. It’s not that no one wants the pressure of the NY market, it’s that no sane person wants to take all the blame if/when things go south for decisions they didn’t get to make.
And if things somehow, some way go right… Cohen’s wallet is going to get the credit.
If it was the Yankees job executives would be lining up.
GASoxFan
Besides all that, anyone interviewing for the job knows they’re basically a lame duck at the start.
A fall guy to take the lumps for the painful parts of a retool/rebuild, and then when it’s about to turn a corner, you’re out the door and Alderson Jr will take the reins.
Bob333
Amazing hire the GM first then a President.Sandy said it is about NY no one wants to come there he finally is right about something but there is more to admit too.No one likes the Owner or the organization itself and YOU Sandy.
GASoxFan
Fire aldersons kid, permanently, and I bet the talent pool opens up somewhat.
busmannyc
Omar Minaya is now hosting YouTube videos affiliated with the city of NY and the Mets as well. Get him back to where he belongs. Look at his track record as a scout with the Rangers, Mets Padres. The man knows talent. Who cares if he is from the Wilpon regime. He’s a new york bred Mets lifer. Give him a chance
RobM
Or, bring him back to oversee scouting and player development.
padam
He was better at scouting than as a GM.
SportsFan0000
Jeff Luhnow has a successful track record in St Louis and Houston.
Jeff Luhnow served his suspension and has earned another chance in MLB
AJ Hinch is employed with the Tigers and Alex Cora with the Red Sox.
Mets franchise and job has some disadvantages that are scaring away most experienced MLB executives (micro managing Cohen, Alderson, son, NY Media market, history of bumbling., stumbling franchise owners, roster that needs either a “reset” or a major teardown and rebuild and more)
Luhnow might take the POB Ops job just to get back in MLB
Luhnow is a proven winner.
Mets would be lucky to get Luhnow.
Let Luhnow hire his own GM.
If not, then try Brian Sabean or someone who actually wants the job.
Cohen will have to agree not micro manage the team and media
OR these guys will not accept the Mets positions.
RobM
Imagine the embarrassment when even Luhnow turns down the job.
Buckner
Luhnow has a $22 million lawsuit (and a concurrent wrongful termination suit) against the Astros and MLB.
Not a candidate anywhere.
SportsFan0000
Meet the New Mets Boss (Cohen) Same as the Old Mets Boss (the Wilpons)
except Cohen has more cash.
But, it is the same micromanaging by a guy or guys that do not know baseball, do not know how to build a team or a front office etc…
bobtillman
I think Cromie did a terrible job as FBI director and I never trusted his testimony before Congress.
Monkey’s Uncle
Maybe Janet Reno is available…
Grade_1_teacher
As long as Cromie takes an Uber home when he goes out drinking and doesn’t text naked photos of himself to female reporters, he will make an excellent GM.
RobM
Crumie will be an interesting hire. It feels more likely than not he will be the new GM.
Discostu
Might as well make the Mets GM job a scratch-off prize from the NY Lottery. Even then, the winner would probably take the cash reward instead of the position.
Monkey’s Uncle
Or be one of those winners who refuses to come forward because they don’t want the publicity, or in the case, the notoriety.
BuhnerBuzzCut
Haha the mets have to find candidates who left baseball 4 years ago. I hear the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme every mets story.
albert-3
If the money right…. I would do it
albert-3
If the money right…. I would do it… with conditions I can trade Alonso and de groom
Chemo850
Sell the team already Cohen, ya stinkin’ BUM! Who woulda thought this franchise could actually get worse under new ownership? This smells like a Brodie Van Wagenen situation all over again. Unreal. This franchise has not done a single thing right all year. Not one thing. I’m just hoping they hand Bryant a 300 million dollar contract so I can really poke some fun lol.
whyhayzee
Sounds like Cromie ism to me.
Monkey’s Uncle
I got it. It was a stretch, but A for originality and effort.
fisher40
Why did the Mets want to hire a President of baseball opps in the first place?? When they already had one in place? Smh Now they want to just hire a GM.
No exec worth his salt would go to that dumpster fire of a franchise. That Lindor signing was a complete joke
Orel Saxhiser
I’m hoping the Mets offer the job to Tigers GM Al Avila before settling on Cromie. I need Avila to turn them down to win on my Reject the Mets Bingo Card.
MarlinsFanBase
Can you imagine the laughter coming from the NL East if Mike Hill gets offered the job and turns it down?
Orel Saxhiser
I would have double Bingo.
Orel Saxhiser
I can see it now: METS INK SEAGER TO $350 MILLION DEAL
Then, at the press conference:
ALDERSON: And now, I’d like to introduce the newest New York Met, Corey Seager.
SEAGER: Um, Sandy, I’m Kyle Seager. You signed me, not Corey. Got any Tylenol? My back is killing me.
MarlinsFanBase
Best comment on this thread!
MarlinsFanBase
Here’s what I see with the Cohen situation. He’s a fan. With a fan owning the team he roots for, it’s a mixed bag of what you can potentially get. The ones that fail run their teams like Cohen does. The fans that succeed in ownership are more like what we have in Miami with Heat owner Micky Arison.
What’s the difference between the two? Cohen interferes and meddles while he tries to make those typical homer bonehead moves. Arison succeeds because he selected a guy he could trust to run his team, then he has sat back and just paid the tab. In fact, Arison has described his ownership as “an expensive hobby that he can brag to his wealthy buddies about…showoff his championship trophies and star players to…” Arison has also described himself as a custodian of one of the sports teams that represent his city.
Cohen needs to find a competent person to run his team, and then just sit back as a fan, just paying the tab. That’s the problem with his form of ownership as a fan…and how it differs from other owners that are fans of the team they own/bought. You can’t own a team and start meddling like a typical homer bonehead. You have to get the right leader that allows you to sit back. You have to understand that you are a custodian of one of the sports teams that represent your city. This is what Cohen is failing at.
Camden453
New people considered for a GM job know they only get one shot at a GM job. You get five years and if you fail as a first time GM, you’re usually out on ever being a GM again. It can damage career progression
The Mets have a thin organization in win now mode that is not an attractive situation to new people taking their shot
Orel Saxhiser
The win-now Mets will be heading to the GM meetings next week without a President or GM. That means Alderson will be representing the Mets. Not a great situation as, ideally, you want your new GM to be meeting his MLB peers. That would make things particularly difficult for Cromie, who has been away from the game for a few years and has a lot of catching up to do. The whole thing has the feel of the Mets flying by the seat of their pants. A disorganized front office and an owner with a ton of money who wants to win now. What could possibly go wrong?
SportsFan0000
Who is Cromie?!
LordD99
Friend of John Galt.
SportsFan0000
Getting the job to be Mets Pres of Baseball Ops or Mets GM
is getting to be like getting hired as Detroit Lions GM or Head Coach.
Lions GMs and Coach jobs have been “career killers” for decades.
It is very rare that they ever work in the industry again after the taint of working for the completely dysfunctional Detroit Lions ownership.
So Mets fans, Cohen is going down the Detroit Lions path with his ownership interference and foibles…
The only way to fix it?!
1) Just get Cohen, Alderson and Son away from the Mets Front Office.
2) Hire crackerjack baseball guys to run the Mets Front Office
and let ownership
JUST WRITE THE CHECKS ONLY..
Otherwise, continued dysfunction and chaos will plague the Mets until further notice.
extreme113
Not granting the the most successful GM in modern history an interview shows you just how clueless Steve Cohen is….
… That would be three-time World Series winning GM Brian Sabean, in case you didn’t know.
Orel Saxhiser
Success in baseball is more than just winning the World Series. Sabean did well, but the best GM in modern MLB history is a stretch. There are people you’d want over Sabean.
sfes
Sigh
Rsox
Tomorrow’s article headline: “Nats AGM Adam Cromie declines to interview for Mets GM job”
acmeants
I have the scoop. Mrs. Met is the next GM. Mr. Met is the next manager.
mookie1
I know it’s fun to bash the Mets, and they have made it so easy. Cohen has only owned the team for a year, so I think it’s too early to definitively conclude what kind of owner he will be. He’s a smart guy, it’s likely that he will understand that he needs to adjust to make the Mets a winner.
Robrock30
Mookie1,
Prior to Cohen’s majority Ownership, he was a minority Owner during the Wilpons. So cut the newbie excuses. He needed to Clean House and he refuses to do this to create a new Mets culture. He is the Same Old Mets with the Same older Sandy Alderson and out of date ideas which were wrong before. Lol Mets
Bob333
Cromie is not dumb enough to turn this lifetime opportunity.Perfect puppet for Cohen to kick around.He is a nobody and is perfect hire for a losing organization.Comie has to pass
his background check 1st.
FloridaMan1988
So the bottom of the barrel hiring. Cohen absolutely is a joke. Prime example why fans can’t run teams.
Stormintazz
I would like to introduce our 43rd choice for Mets GM.
Camden453
Sounds like Cromie is going to be the guy
vtadave
Amazing that he hasn’t turned it down yet. Given that, he’s probably the guy. Wonder when he gets his DUI?
Bob333
Rumor has it Stroman to sign with Phillies but im sure nobody cares im sure all Mets fan could care less at least that’s what they would tell ya.
Camden453
Stroman is a Mets fan and will probably sign with the Mets
It matters to Stro. He isn’t the money is all that matters type. He wants to play for the Mets and probably won’t play for any of their rivals
Most of the time that’s not the case. It’s a business. But not to Stroman
LordD99
We know the downside here. The Mets carried on a very public search for a GM, shooting for the biggest names possible, but in the end, the guy they’re likely hiring hasn’t been in the game for 4 1/2 years and no Met fan had heard of him before yesterday.
Let’s, however, talk potential upside. Even though I’m a fan of the Yankees, which makes this a fun topic when I’m out having a couple beers with my Met fan friends (remember, though, folks, don’t drink and drive!) I’m here to talk positives.
Cromie had a very good reputation within the game, and was on the short list when future GMs were being discussed. He had two passions in life career wise. Being a baseball executive and working in law. Well, he’s accomplished both. His earned his undergraduate degree in economics culminating with a thesis on how MLB teams can enable minor-league systems to gain a competitive advantage. He moved on to Amherst to earn his masters in sports management, and then while working full-time in MLB, he earned his JD at Georgetown, magna cum laude, leading to being hired by the #1 ranked law firm in the country. So 10 years in MLB where he rose up through many roles to be regarded as one of the top young GM candidates in the game, helped build the Nats analytics team, was considered one of the architects for their eventual world championship team, and then went off to scratch his itch of working in law. The man is clearly driven, sets goals, achieves them, is smart. I’m not his PR agent, I’m simply noting there is definitely something there to be excited about.
What does he lack? Actual GM experience and recency in the game. Good news. While Alderson has absorbed a lot of negativity here, he is the perfect guy to mentor Cromie back into MLB, and his circumstances are unique enough that the Alderson father-and-son situation won’t bother him to get the job he wants.
Just my two cents. BTW I never heard of the guy before yesterday either, or I had forgotten he existed. What I know was from a few articles I read, chiefly the one linked below.
cbssports.com/mlb/news/meet-the-man-who-was-to-bec…
Bob333
Thank you steve cohen well written
LordD99
Don’t be silly. I have a team of writers.
Orel Saxhiser
You should be commended for taking the time to research Cromie’s qualifications. More people should do that. It’s not difficult. It seems some folks would rather brand him a “nobody” and a failure before he even gets the job. It’s as if they’re rooting for him to fail.
As for what he lacks, it’ll be a positive for the Mets if they have him on board in time for next week’s GM meetings. Cromie has some catching up to do, but it’s not like he’s never worked out of the GM’s office before. And yes, a veteran baseball executive like Alderson is the perfect guy to mentor him. What the Mets need moving forward is the right person to be their GM. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big name.
LordD99
The skills that would have made him a top candidate four years back are not only still there, but have been enhanced. I’m not saying he won’t have a bumpy re-entry, but in business there is an argument for hiring quality and skillset. What he had he hasn’t lost.
Aren’t the GM Meetings going on now?
Orel Saxhiser
@lorddgg, Yes, the GM meetings are taking place now. So much for that, but at least the Mets will likely have someone in place by the start of the winter meetings on December 5. As for the possibility of the person being Cromie, it’s positive that the Mets are considering someone so young since he can help guide them into the future. If Cromie’s the choice, it will be interesting to see who they come up with as field manager.
LordD99
I may have read that they already have an idea on who they want to be the manager, but will wait to see if the new GM agrees.
wallabeechamp
12:30pm PST as the over/under for when Cromie informs the Mets that he isn’t interested. What time you got? Taking all wagers
#LOLMets
bucsfan0004
See, this guy Cromie has had multiple interviews with Cohen. He’s been on the Mets radar for awhile, and although its super-comical to read about all the people who weren’t interested, its obvious some shoddy journalism is in play here, no?
Orel Saxhiser
Multiple interviews? Where are you getting that? They had a face-to-face on Tuesday. Shoddy journalism? Yep, shoot the messenger/news media. There’s a lot of that going around these days. Gee, I wonder why.
bucsfan0004
MLB Network
citizen
Cromie has a real shot at gm as gm is the only name running and also applied for gm. its a lock at this point.
Bob333
remember 4 1/2 years away from the game and multiple interviews when maybe 2 on 11/9/21 you got to be kidding me.Another loser being added they are just trying to fiqure out how to put the Mets spin on it.
Orel Saxhiser
Loser? Before he even lands the job? Wow, your nastiness is over the to and uncalled for. Instead of rooting for him to fail, why not wish him the best should he get the gig? Why would anyone want another person to fail at their job?
@DaOldDerbyBastard
This reeks of desperation. He’s done nothing baseball related in 4 years. If he was a great baseball mind they wouldn’t have let him walk away for 4 years. I prefer Josh Byrnes just off of his draft picks alone.
Dan Hunter
All Because Alderson wants the power.
8791Slegna
Appropriate name – Crummy
Cohens_Wallet
LOLYOU