Sandy Alderson has officially transitioned from Mets’ team president to an advisory role, owner Steve Cohen announced this morning (relayed by Tim Healey of Newsday). It’s the culmination of a process first announced last September.
Alderson, the New York general manager from 2010-18, returned to the organization as team president once Cohen purchased the franchise from the Wilpon family at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign. Alderson and the club had a mutual understanding he’d spend a fairly brief amount of time in that capacity, with the sides agreeing last fall to transition the veteran executive to an advisory role around the time his original two-year contract expired.
Last fall, the organization indicated Alderson would remain the team president until the Mets settled on his replacement. They’d been conducting interviews for the role for some time but still haven’t filled the position. Cohen suggested this morning they could now leave it vacant for the entire 2023 campaign, though he didn’t rule out the possibility of making a hire. As of last September, most of the candidates under consideration came from business backgrounds rather than baseball operations career paths — with no indication the club was interested in curtailing the daily baseball operations responsibilities for general manager Billy Eppler.
Alderson, 75, has worked in baseball operations or the league office for the better part of four decades. He’s previously spent time with the Oakland and San Diego front offices. Alderson remains with the Mets, though he’s presumably ceded some of the responsibilities he’d taken on over the past couple years. Perhaps not coincidentally, Cohen has taken on a more active role with the club. The owner told Healey and other reporters that he’s now part of weekly meetings with his staff.
davidk1979
Alderson drafted well though for some reason blocked some of his draftees with Jay Bruce. Sandy also made excellent trades, and also got lucky that Nimmo’s medicals were flagged otherwise Nimmo for Bruce would have a bottom ten trade in Mets history at best. The free agent signing were more bad than good. Obviously with Sandy the Cohen’s never get approved as Mets owners. I’d rate Sandy as an average gm here.
davidk1979
Without Sandy they don’t get approved I mean.
CaptainJudge99
I heard it’s Mr. Met whose operating as Team’s President now.
marcfrombrooklyn
As long as it isn’t Brodie inside the costume.
Buckner
The Mets and Cohen have said they are looking for an “organizational President” – not a baseball guy. So Stearns, and any other recycled GM names are “probably” not on the radar.
My hunch is someone Cohen knows well – possibly a Point 72 person – gets the job.
And we should NOT care. This person is not President of Baseball Operations.
Not a story.
Steve Cohen Owns You
If you believe Stearns isn’t going to join the Mets, you’re kidding yourself.
Robrock30
You are David Klein right? I thought you were someone else though
brewpackbuckbadg
Stearns is on the way
Rick Pernell
I’m 65 and take medication. What’s my pric
TheGreatBaseballMind
$9.95!
brewpackbuckbadg
Plus shipping and handling
Monkey’s Uncle
“Tree-fitty”
Say Hey Now Kid
I’m on to you succubus
Cohens_Wallet
Free-99
User 3595123227
It will be good to work with Sandy in the advisory role. Nothing to it.
Steve Cohen Owns You
He’s in a different class than you, personally and professionally, no doubt.
User 3595123227
Good glad to hear that. Move to Venezuela please.
drasco036
Mets needs a new PBO and James Click is still looking for a job. That’s bad news for the rest of league.
slimray
DRASSCO.will you please show me or lead me to an article where james click says he is looking for a job.
BlueSkies_LA
From that first line it sounded like he’d crossed the rainbow bridge.
websoulsurfer
Just here to see the deluge of misguided and hateful comments about Alderson
CravenMoorehead
NO SANDY DISRESPECT
NYMetsFanatic
Yeah me too. GM is often times a thankless job. Everyone expects them to have crystal balls to see into the future as to whether or not their potential signings will be successful. Keep in mind that for 85% of his overall tenure with the Mets, Alderson had the Coupons to deal with. Talk about being set up for imminent failure.
Bill M
At 75, perhaps his balls are crystal. But I think you make a good point. People usually remember the bad moves a GM makes over the good moves.
CravenMoorehead
Stopped reading at “Sandy Alderson has officially transitioned…”
🙂
Doug
He’s keeping the name Sandy though.
CravenMoorehead
SANDY SOUNDS DANDY
foppert
Ha ha. I bet he is part of weekly meetings.
Steve Rogers
Maybe Cohen is waiting on Epstein. Perhaps Epstein is trying to get a ownership piece of the Mets and that’s been the delay.
10centBeerNight
Cue the “2015 never happened” choir. Alderson was far from perfect and had some disaster hires like Callaway. But the team recovered from an unprecedented crisis with Madoff. Better days are here for NYM fans. Lean into that
Logistics Guy
If Steve C Is looking for business/ baseball guy to fill the job of Sandy A why not pick phone and call the Chicago White Sox and talk to Kenny Williams.
You kill two birds with one stone Kenny has both business background and he a world series winning VP of baseball operations.
Steve Cohen Owns You
F – – – that guy. He’s washed.
tesseract
Kenny was a scout. Doesn’t have business background
metgiantfan
Very easy to judge him. But I can’t lose sight of the fact that he operated under the worst ownership in NY Baseball history, possibly even NY Sports History, period. One could argue Dolan. But a.) he at least isn’t cheap and b.) the Rangers are successful and have a chance every year.
VonPurpleHayes
Definitely not the worst ownership in NY Sports History. Not even close. Wilpons spent big often, just not enough. Revionist history likes to act like the Mets never signed a FA before the Cohen era. Mets are definitely better off with Cohen, and the Wilpons last few years were ugly, but fans tend to exaggerate how bad it was. The Jets exist.
ChuckyNJ
More non sequiturs from that truly American genus known as Dumb Sports Fans.
James Dolan has an enemies list — Steve Cohen does not.
StupendousYappi
LOLMETS
Mets gonna met
VonPurpleHayes
This was always the plan. How is this remotely “Mets gonna Met?”
StupendousYappi
Anderson never should have been hired anyway way past his prime and the game has passed him by. I was laughing he was still even a part of the organization he should have been placed in a retirement community years ago.
JackStrawb
Of course they don’t need a PBOps. Cohen’s the acting GM, while Eppler handles minor GM duties and most of the administrative tasks—what did people think Eppler was here for, really? Billy Eppler, the only GM ever trolled by the team that fired him, so bad at finding pitching that the Angels, in the draft after he left, drafted only pitchers and nothing but pitchers, the first time in MLB history that’s ever happened.
Incredible, that Alderson isn’t treated by Mets fans as a pariah, given how for most of a decade he was happy to sell his reputation to the Wilpons for $4m a year, allowing them to stay on as team owners while doing their dirty work, including playing David Wright into the ground, onto the DL, and off the team when Wright was known to be seriously injured. At least Alderson’s on his way out, formally.
Robrock30
JackStrawb,
You can’t make this stuff up lol
Phil Regan, former Mets pitching coach, suing team for age discrimination
nypost.com/2023/02/21/phil-regan-ex-mets-pitching-…
Mets hire an 82 yo pitching coach and then fire him by telling him he is too old Unreal
SFGiantsGallore
Cohen turning into the Jerry Jones of the MLB lol. This should be fun.
ChuckyNJ
More appropriate comparisons would be with Chelsea Football Club, FC Barcelona, Juventus FC, or Manchester City Football Club.
The NFL has a salary cap — baseball and European soccer do not.
VonPurpleHayes
I do sometimes worry that baseball goes the route of football (soccer) in terms of owners.. While Cohen is fun, there are owners who cannot spend anywhere close to what he spends. We’re already seeing a few ownership changes. Down the road will baseball owners simply be the Oil Tycoons we see in FIFA? Is that the only way owners can spend on the Cohen scale? Or am I being ridiculous? Probably the latter.
Robrock30
Hasta la vista baby
JoeBrady
Interesting. I’d say you don’t need a traditional GM if you are simply going to out-pay everyone else. But the NYM farm has been pretty productive over the years. I wonder who’s jurisdiction that is?