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Zack Scott

Former Mets’ Acting GM Zack Scott Acquitted On DWI Charges

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Former Mets acting general manager Zack Scott has been found not guilty on charges of driving while intoxicated and driving while ability impaired, according to reports from Anthony Rieber of Newsday and Tim Britton of the Athletic. (Scott was found to have committed two traffic violations and fined $200.00).

The charges stemmed from a late August arrest in White Plains, New York. Arresting officers alleged at the time that Scott had failed a field sobriety test, a claim disputed by the trial court. In announcing the court’s verdict, Judge Eric Press wrote this morning that “Mr. Scott performed the tests in a manner in which no neutral observer would conclude he was drunk, especially to the point of intoxication” (Britton link).

Scott had been leading the New York baseball operations department at the time. After 17 years in the Red Sox’s front office, he was hired by the Mets as an assistant general manager last December. He took over as GM on an interim basis a month later, when then-GM Jared Porter was fired once Porter’s past sexual harassment of a reporter had been made public.

Scott spent seven-plus months as acting GM and looked a strong candidate to assume the position permanently before his arrest. The Mets placed Scott on administrative leave the day after his arrest was made public, with team president Sandy Alderson assuming control of daily baseball ops through the end of the season. After the season, the Mets moved on from Scott entirely. A few weeks later, Billy Eppler was hired as general manager.

It’s presently unclear if/when Scott will attempt to pursue new opportunities within Major League Baseball. He released a statement this morning (via Britton), which reads in part: “I am thankful for today’s verdict. Nevertheless, I regret choices I made on August 31, resulting in circumstances that led to my arrest. … Professionally, I’m grateful to Sandy Alderson for the opportunity to lead baseball operations for the Mets and wish my former teammates nothing but the best going forward. I believe this humbling experience will make me a better husband, father, son, friend and leader, and I look forward to what the future holds.“

Mets Parting Ways With Zack Scott

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The Mets are parting ways with acting general manager Zack Scott, reports Andy Martino of SNY. His tenure in the New York front office lasts a little less than a year, as the Mets hired him away from the Red Sox as an assistant GM last December.

Scott was bumped up to acting general manager a little more than a month later, once then-GM Jared Porter was dismissed after Porter’s prior sexual harassment of a reporter came to light. Scott was in charge of daily baseball operations in Queens for much of this past season, but his own future in the organization came into question when he was arrested and charged with a DWI at the end of August. The Mets placed Scott on administrative leave once his arrest was made public, and that course of events will result in his departure from the organization.

Once Scott was placed on leave, team president Sandy Alderson assumed control of day-to-day baseball ops. Alderson is expected to move back into a broader advisory role — as he initially intended when rejoining the Mets last year — and the club has been on the hunt for a new baseball operations head since the end of the regular season. That search has involved some highly-publicized misses on their early targets (Theo Epstein, David Stearns, and Billy Beane among them), and most recent reports suggest the club has turned their attention to younger, up-and-coming executives with other clubs.

Settling on a baseball operations leader remains the biggest point of order for the Mets to kick off their offseason. Over the summer, it seemed like Scott was a plausible candidate to eventually take hold of that role permanently. But his arrest and subsequent leave placement seemed to foreclose that possibility, and there’d been no indication he was in consideration for the position since the end of the season.

It remains to be seen whether or when Scott will land elsewhere, although that could depend on the resolution of his still-pending legal matter. Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reported last week that Scott’s trial is set to begin on December 8.

Mets To Contact Theo Epstein; Plan To Ask Permission About Billy Beane, David Stearns

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The Mets’ search for a new president of baseball operations will lead to a chat with Theo Epstein, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link) that the Mets are planning to get in touch with Epstein “soon.”  Athletics executive VP Billy Beane and Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns are also on the Mets’ wishlist, as Heyman notes that New York intends to ask the A’s and Brewers for permission to speak with the two executives once Oakland’s season is over, and once Milwaukee’s postseason run is complete.

This isn’t the first time that these three names have been linked to the Mets’ search, and it remains to be seen how serious any of the trio are as candidates — Heyman tweeted just yesterday that Epstein and Stearns were “seen as unlikely gets.”  The pursuits of Beane and Stearns could be ended quickly, of course, if their current teams simply denied the Mets permission for a meeting.  While teams generally allow employees to interview for higher positions with other teams, Beane and Stearns are already atop their respective clubs’ decision-making pyramid.

As of Wednesday, New York hadn’t yet spoken to any candidates, team president Sandy Alderson told The Athletic’s Tim Britton (Twitter thread) and other reporters.  This could make Epstein the first name on the Mets’ list overall, and it would make sense that the team would check in with an unaffiliated potential candidate before tackling the thornier issue of permission from other clubs.

Alderson also noted the interesting detail that the Mets will make a decision on the fate of manager Luis Rojas and the current coaching staff soon after the season is over, even prior to the hiring of a new PoBO.  “I would hope those decisions are made with a new leadership potentially in mind, to make sure they have as much flexibility as possible,” Alderson said, which wouldn’t seem to bode well for Rojas’ chances of being retained.  The wait should be longer in deciding on the future of acting GM Zack Scott, whose next court date related to a DWI charge isn’t until October 7.  Alderson said the Mets will decide on Scott after there has been some resolution in his legal situation.

Mets Place Zack Scott On Administrative Leave; Sandy Alderson To Assume GM Duties

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The Mets announced Thursday that they’ve placed acting general manager Zack Scott on administrative leave “until further notice.” Team president Sandy Alderson is assuming Scott’s responsibilities indefinitely. Scott was arrested earlier this week on a DWI charge in White Plains, N.Y. He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment earlier this morning.

It’s been a tumultuous year for the Mets’ front office, to say the least. Alderson, the team’s former general manager who stepped away years ago in the wake of a cancer diagnosis, was brought back to the organization by new owner Steve Cohen and expected to serve a broader role as team president. Cohen parted ways with GM Brodie Van Wagenen, a former agent who’d been hired by the prior Wilpon family ownership group as Alderson’s successor.

Alderson and Cohen at one point were said to be looking to hire both a president of baseball operations and a general manager but were unable to secure interviews with some top targets and had their interest rebuffed by others. Reported names under consideration at the time included Indians GM Mike Chernoff, Athletics GM David Forst and Twins GM Thad Levine, among others. The Mets eventually settled on a trio of assistant general managers a finalists in their search, selecting D-backs AGM Jared Porter as their new general manager and hiring Scott, then an AGM in Boston, as an assistant GM as well.

Porter, however, was fired just weeks after being hired once it came to light that he’d repeatedly sent unsolicited, and at times graphic and sexually explicit text messages to a reporter in 2016. Allegations against former manager Mickey Callaway, who’d since been hired as the Angels’ pitching coach, soon followed. Callaway was with another club by that point, but much of the purported behavior took place during his tenure with the Mets. Both Porter and Callaway have been placed on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list through the 2022 season.

With Porter quickly ousted, Scott was elevated to the status of acting general manager. There’d been some thought that he could be in line for a permanent appointment to that post — perhaps still with a president of baseball operations being hired to oversee things — but the recent arrest and today’s announcement have now brought his future with the organization into question.

Following the revelations regarding Callaway and Porter, Alderson spoke of improving the Mets’ vetting and background checks during future hiring processes. With another key member of their leadership team now facing a legal issue, an even brighter spotlight will be focused on who the Mets hire this coming winter. It’s possible that Scott is retained in some capacity — notably, Cohen fired Porter the day after word of his purported transgressions broke — but it seems at the very least that there will be some changes to the team’s front office looming this winter.

Mets GM Zack Scott Facing DWI Charge

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Sept. 2: Scott pleaded not guilty to the DWI charge at this morning’s arraignment, writes Ryan Gerbosi of Newsday. He has another court date scheduled on Oct. 7.

Sept. 1: Mets acting general manager Zack Scott was arrested in White Plains, N.Y., early Tuesday morning, as first reported by Mike Puma, Craig McCarthy and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon of the New York Post. The Post reports that police found Scott “dozing” in a vehicle, at which point he allegedly refused a breathalyzer but failed a field sobriety test. CBS 2 New York indicates that an officer saw the vehicle in question “driving erratically” shortly before the arrest. Scott has been charged and is due back in White Plains City Court this Thursday, per the Post report.

The Mets issued a statement just minutes after the news of Scott’s arrest was reported, which reads as follows:

“We were surprised and deeply disappointed to learn this morning about an alleged DUI involving Zack Scott. We take this matter very seriously. Zack will not be traveling with the team for our upcoming road trip while we learn more and determine next steps.”

The 44-year-old Scott is in his first year with the Mets, having been hired out of the Red Sox organization, where he oversaw the pro scouting and analytics departments, this past offseason. Scott was originally hired as an assistant general manager but was elevated to the title of acting general manager after then-GM Jared Porter was fired.

Mets Promote Two Executives To Assistant General Manager Positions

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The Mets have promoted Ian Levin and Bryn Alderson to assistant general manager, reports Andy Martino of SNY. Both executives have been with New York for extended periods of time. Levin has been in the organization since 2005, while Alderson joined the Mets in 2011.

Levin had been the Mets’ senior director of baseball operations. Martino notes that he’s taken roles in the analytics and player development departments over the course of his tenure. Alderson, meanwhile, has worked on the scouting side of the organization. He has been the team’s director of professional scouting over the past two seasons.

The Mets’ front office has undergone quite a few changes since last winter’s sale of the franchise. Former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and a significant portion of his staff left the organization immediately after new owner Steve Cohen took over. Previous GM Sandy Alderson (Bryn Alderson’s father) was brought back as team president.

Jared Porter was hired as general manager but fired shortly after when his past sexual harassment of a reporter came to light. Zack Scott has been functioning as acting general manager since that time. Martino writes that Scott has “earned many fans inside the organization” for his work over the past six months and could eventually earn a permanent promotion, but he continues to hold the position in an interim capacity for now.

Mets Notes: deGrom, Nimmo, Conforto, McNeil, Carrasco

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Jacob deGrom left yesterday’s game with flexor tendonitis, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (via Twitter). Speaking after the game, deGrom continually stressed that though the concern was near his elbow, it wasn’t something that he was overly concerned about. He plans/hopes to make his next regularly scheduled start. Obviously, a healthy deGrom is crucial for the Mets’ title chances. They have a four-game lead for the division, thanks in large part to deGrom’s 0.56 ERA in 10 starts this season. The Mets have won 70 percent of deGrom’s starts this season versus 53 percent of games in which someone else takes the hill. In other Mets news…

  • Brandon Nimmo has a new understanding of the hand injury that’s kept him out of action since the first couple days of May. Nimmo received a new diagnosis of a small ligament tear near the base of his left index finger. He was thought to be dealing with a nerve issue. Nimmo previously had started a rehab assignment, but stopped it short after continued discomfort. While the diagnostic clarity is helpful, the new information doesn’t change the plan for Nimmo: He will continue to rest until the finger is healed, tweets Dicomo. A rehab assignment,however, could start as soon as next week.
  • Dicomo provides more position player updates: the Mets hope to have Jeff McNeil back next weekend and Michael Conforto the weekend after, per GM Zack Scott. The Mets have done well to stay atop the NL East while a good portion of their starting lineup has been out. McNeil’s flexibility would be particularly useful in covering for the numerous injuries the team has sustained this season.
  • Carlos Carrasco, meanwhile, received a PRP injection, which is why he has not been throwing of late, per Dicomo. Carrasco’s torn right hamstring has not been healing on schedule. Certainly, the Mets expected to get more from Carrasco this season. To have him healthy at the end of the season has to be the priority now, however, so there should be no rush in getting him back to the hill before he is 100 percent healthy. Carrasco isn’t likely to return to the rotation until after the All-Star break, per DiComo.

Mets Name Zack Scott Acting General Manager

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The Mets announced Wednesday that assistant GM Zack Scott has been named acting general manager in the wake of Jared Porter’s abrupt dismissal. The 43-year-old Scott was hired out of the Red Sox organization earlier this winter.

“Zack has plenty of championship experience to draw upon,” president of baseball operations Sandy Alderson said Wednesday in a statement announcing the decision. “He has been an integral part of our decision-making processes since his arrival. The entire baseball operations staff, including myself, will continue to work collaboratively.”

Scott’s recent work with the Red Sox included overseeing both the analytics department and the team’s professional scouting operations. He’d been with the Red Sox since being hired as an intern back in 2004 and steadily rose from that post to vice president of baseball R&D and eventually to assistant general manager.

Alderson said after Porter’s firing that the team wasn’t planning to hire a new general manager this winter, expressing confidence that in-house personnel was able to “move forward effectively” without bringing in an external hire. Scott, it seems, will take over the bulk of Porter’s vacated duties at least on an interim basis. Alderson, by all accounts, still has final say over baseball operations decisions, but Scott’s bump in title will expand his own responsibilities within the hierarchy. It’s always possible, too, that this acting/interim run could vault Scott into candidacy to take on the role on a permanent basis. Clarity on that front isn’t likely to come until this summer at the very earliest — and more likely won’t come until next offseason.

Red Sox Notes: Semien, Scott, Kahnle, Andriese

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The Red Sox “like” free-agent shortstop Marcus Semien, though they’re not sure how much money it would take to sign him, Peter Gammons of The Athletic tweets. Semien is one of the top shortstops on the open market, but the Red Sox already have their answer there in Xander Bogaerts. They’re also set at third base with Rafael Devers. The club does have questions at second base, but Semien hasn’t lined up there since 2014 as a member of the White Sox. The 30-year-old spent the previous six seasons with the Athletics and excelled at times, especially in 2019. He has a connection to the Red Sox in former college roommate Paul Toboni, the team’s scouting director, Gammons notes.

More out of Boston:

  • The Red Sox lost assistant general manager Zack Scott to the Mets, who hired him as their assistant GM and senior vice president Wednesday. The move came with a condition, though. The Mets will not be permitted to hire anyone else from the Red Sox’s front office either this offseason or next, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. Presumably, New York’s heavy lifting in the front office is done, with Scott joining newly-hired team president Sandy Alderson and GM Jared Porter in Queens. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see Boston guard against other potential front office departures.
  • Tommy Kahnle signed with the Dodgers on a two-year deal this afternoon. The Red Sox, though, were also in on the free agent reliever, reports Robert Murray of Fansided (Twitter link). Boston made a “strong offer” to Kahnle and finished second for his services, adds Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. The right-hander was something of a unique case on the open market; having undergone Tommy John surgery this past August, Kahnle will likely miss all of the 2021 season but is an interesting upside play for the following year. If Boston’s looking for more immediate right-handed bullpen help, there’s no shortage of options available in free agency.
  • The Red Sox did sign one potential bullpen piece today, bringing in Matt Andriese on a one-year deal with a 2022 club option. The veteran has been used almost exclusively as a reliever over the past two seasons, although he’ll be given an opportunity to stake a claim to a rotation job next spring, he told reporters (including Cotillo). Andriese expressed an openness to either role and noted that he expects the Red Sox front office to continue to explore starting pitching additions this offseason. The right-hander broke into the majors as a true swing piece with the Rays, starting 44 of his 72 appearances in Tampa Bay from 2015-17.

Mets Hire Zack Scott As Assistant General Manager

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The Mets have hired Zack Scott as their senior vice president/assistant general manager, Jon Heyman of MLB Network was among those to report. Scott was previously Boston’s assistant GM.

Scott spent the past 17 years in various roles with the Red Sox, which put him on the map for the Mets as they sought a new GM. They ultimately gave that job to Jared Porter, who worked with Scott in Boston’s front office for several years. Scott reportedly was the runner-up to Porter for the position.

“I’ve known Zack for over 15 years, and worked with him daily for 10 of those years,” Porter said of Scott (via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). “He’s a strong leader who is a very creative and dynamic thinker. Zack is well rounded in all areas of baseball operations.”

Scott’s addition is the latest high-profile move for a Mets front office that has undergone significant changes since new owner Steve Cohen took over in November. Before hiring Porter and Scott, New York parted with general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and brought back former GM Sandy Alderson as team president.

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