The Mets announced today that special assistant to the GM J.P. Ricciardi is leaving the organization. He had served in that capacity under Sandy Alderson and remained in his role, albeit briefly, after the club hired Brodie Van Wagenen to run the baseball operations department.
Per the announcement, it was a “mutually” arrived-upon decision. COO Jeff Wilpon thanked Ricciardi for his service, while the outgoing executive expressed good wishes in his own farewell statement. It had widely been expected that Ricciardi would move on, though he remained on hand to help bring Van Wagenen aboard while leaving the door open to an ongoing relationship.
As it turns out, it seems both sides felt the fit was no longer a good one. With the news, Ricciardi will wrap up an eight-year run in New York. It’s unclear as yet what’s next for the former Blue Jays GM. Meanwhile, the situation of Mets assistant GM John Ricco — who has been in the organization for an even longer time — has yet to be resolved conclusively.
I wonder if the Dodgers are looking at him?
Baltimore?
Nah. He might not pass their GM Physical.
lol
My thought exactly..
Maybe his ol’ Moneyball pal DePodesta needs some help strategerizing the Brownies
How many on here that worship at the feet of analytics in baseball, know this guy?
That he was awful with the Blue Jays when they gave him carte blanche….but not a big budget (he said using analytics he could win without one). This now wraps up 8 years with a team that the posters here say don’t use analytics.
AA might call him up to join him in Atlanta. Possibly Oakland reuniting with Beane and company. Third option is the Giants with the new ex-Oakland hire.
Ricciardi’s tenure in Toronto was abysmal at best. Awful GM. But someone will hire him.
The absolute world’s worst. Richardi and his lap-dog Keith Law completely destroyed what was a model organization and is yet today still recovering. Every time I see Law on ESPN, I remember my grandmother’s favorite line: “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach”.
That said, Richardi is known to be a wiz with the machinations of being a GM (waivers, options and contracts, etc.), so he’ll wind up somewhere. He’s from Mass. (Worchester area), and it’s said that DD still has trouble navigating all the intricacies of the position. Might fit in Boston.
The LAST place should be Baltimore. That would be a train wreck on its way to a dumpster fire. O’s need Chaim Bloom from Tampa, whose young and (it’s said) is a tireless worker. They need that.
JP’s greatest strength (gathering data) belies his greatest weakness (having absolutely no idea what it means).
Keith Law shouldn’t have a job based on his work with the Blue Jays. You are correct; Jays still haven’t recovered from their tenure and they still have a guys from that era (Lacava, Tinnish).
Pat Guillick put that organization together. My favorite front office executive of the past 50-some years. Won everywhere he went after building up organizations.
*Gillick.
Riccardi wore a nice watch and had tailored shirts while he was in Toronto. Orlando Hudson called him a pimp once in the press. Riccardi demoted him the next day and eventually traded him for Troy Glaus. That worked well.
I hear that Riccardi overuled his scouting people at the 2014 draft. Riccardi picked Russ Adams [Career Zero War]. The scouts wanted Cole Hamels who was selected 4 picks later by the Phillies. Yeeesh.
Orlando Hudson said that he dressed like a pimp (not that he was one)
Then Ricciardi fired the scouting department.
He also held Hudson down longer than he should have as punishment. Remember Joel Lawrence?
I know it sounds better in a press release and is the best way to portray a departure, but is anything ever really “mutually arrived upon”? One side has to initiate the discussion or feels more strongly than the other.
Mets: J.P., we’re letting you go.
J.P. : You can’t fire me, I quit.
Mets: Then we’re in agreement. One way or another, you gotta go. Here’s your severance pay. We’ll post the usual “Mutual Decision” release, ok?
J.P.: Agreed.
Kinda like the Seinfeld episode with Kramer on a job he wasn’t hired to do.
youtu.be/O5XT9CifIlY
Perfect for the Patriots
I expect him to be the GM of the Giants
Wrong. The Giants just hired Zaidi as GM.
Wrong, Zaidi is President of Baseball Operations.
Still looking for a GM but jp is worse than Bobby Evans who was fired lol
Riccardi is a terrible GM. The guy came up with a new ‘five year plan’ every six months with the Jays.
I bet you wish Riccardi had been on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
That’s a horrible thing to say, like wishing someone had been on the Titanic.
Actually worse than saying the Titanic. At least the Titanic had survivors. What a stupid unfunny comment.
What is wrong with you Lester?