New York Mets to hire Sandy Alderson as president of baseball operations

Steve Cohen has made his first big hire as the new owner of the New York Mets. Sandy Alderson will take over as the team’s top executive.

The New York Mets woke up the tri-state area to massive news on Thursday. According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Mets have agreed to bring Sandy Alderson back as the team’s president of baseball operations.

Breaking: Steve Cohen has hired Sandy Alderson as team president, contingent of course on ownership approval of Cohen by MLB owners. sources say. Alderson, the Mets’ GM from 2010-2018, will head both baseball and business operations in the new setup.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 24, 2020

It didn’t take long for new owner Steve Cohen to confirm the news.

Cohen (cont)
“Sandy is an accomplished and respected baseball executive who shares my philosophy of building an organization and a team the right way.

I am excited to have Sandy in a key leadership role with the Mets if my purchase of the team is approved.

Let’s Go Mets!"

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 24, 2020

This is a smart hire by Cohen in a number of ways. First, Cohen is likely looking to ease the minds of wary MLB owners. By bringing in a respected baseball guy who “builds teams the right way,” Cohen should be able to secure the votes he needs.

This hire isn’t all about the upcoming ownership vote though. Cohen worked with Alderson for years. He sat on the Mets board of directors after becoming a minority owner in 2012 and worked with Alderson during that time.

This hire allows Cohen to bring in someone he knows and trusts to run the organization well. It’ll also allow him to acquire a young general manager who could learn under Alderson and take the reigns in just a few years. Alderson is 72 years old, which would make him the oldest top executive in MLB by at least 10 years.

It’s impossible to guess who could fill that role. Nonetheless, there are a number of options on the Mets staff. Many of Alderson’s top lieutenants are still with the team, including Bryn Alderson, Jim Kelly, and John Ricco.

The Mets also employ a young rising executive in assistant general manager Adam Guttridge — a sharp analytics-based mind who could grow under the tutelage of Alderson.

The Mets are going to be in good hands no matter who they bring in to work under Alderson. Sandy is one of the best baseball guys out there and will do everything he can to right the ship for this ballclub. With nearly unlimited resources at his disposal under Cohen, things could turn around quickly.