ESPN.com reports today that the Mets have scheduled a second interview with former Oakland A’s GM Sandy Alderson next week, and Alderson could be named the next general manager of the Mets when it’s all said and done.
The Mets began their search for a new GM last week, when they interviewed former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes, White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn, Red Sox scouting director Allard Baird and Alderson. The Mets also may interview Tigers assistant GM Al Avila.
Sandy Alderson is currently working for Major League Baseball under Bud Selig, and was previously the team president of the San Diego Padres. Before that, he was the longtime GM of the Oakland A’s, where he learned how to build competitive teams with financial restrictions on the payroll.
If the Mets do indeed hire Alderson, he’ll have a lot more payroll flexibility than he ever did running a baseball team. The Mets have a lot of money coming off the books following the 2011 season, when Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez mercifully will be in the final year of their deals.
Carlos Beltran is in the final year of his deal this year as well, although he still may be a productive player going forward if he can stay healthy. I’m sure the Mets will explore potential trades with Castillo and Perez and may consider it with Beltran.
Once the Mets hire a new GM, he can get to work on reshaping the ball club his way, and the Mets can hire a new manager and try to figure out where they stand. It’s going to be a daunting task to rebuild this team back to where they can contend in a tough division, but hey, ya gotta believe.
If Alderson is indeed the next GM, I’m optimistic about the future. The team has a lot of young, productive players who have room to grow and develop around Wright and Reyes. This team has the potential to turn it around quickly and be an above-.500 team if the right moves are made.
We Mets fans know baseball becomes a year-round sport when it comes to the offseason. In the meantime, I’d really like to see a Rangers-Giants World Series. Another Yankees-Phillies series would be insufferable.
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