The Mets search for their next general manager (GM) is now entering its third week, and no one has been named as a replacement for Omar Minaya.
The interviewing process has seen the likes of Josh Byrnes, Dana Brown, Allard Baird, Rick Hahn, Logan White and Sandy Alderson come to New York to express how they would fix the Metropoltians.
After the first round of intervirews, many people in baseball believe that Alderson will prevail as the GM of the Mets for 2011 and beyond. It is even rumored that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has even endorsed Alderson to take the helm of baseball operations in Queens.
However, despite what everyone has been saying, the Mets have remained quiet. Some believe dragging out their search for a general manager is actually a calculated decision by the higher-ups of the Mets organization in an attempt to lure current Rangers GM Jon Daniels into the mix.
Daniels, a native of Bayside, Queens and childhood Mets fan, is currently watching the team he constructed win against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Daniels has an out-clause in his contract at the end of this season, and some believe that he may be attracted to the prospect of running his favorite childhood team.
Proponents of this theory argue that if Alderson is the favorite for the position, as everyone believes, then why hasn’t he been hired yet? They believe that the Mets are biding their time until the Rangers season is over, whenever that may be.
While Daniels, who is the youngest GM in baseball at 33 years old, would be an intriguing choice because he is the architect of the current Rangers roster and has brought them from being an after thought to quite possibly the American League champion – but he also is not the commanding force that many believe the Mets need.
While Daniels young career is full of impressive trades, Alderson’s comes with a multitude of different baseball related accolades.
While A’s GM Billy Beane gets most of the credit for the “Moneyball” style of building a team, Alderson, who ran the A’s until 1997 when he stepped aside for Beane, was one of the first GM’s to have people study quantitative analysis to make the most of his teams resources.
This type of progressive thinking is something the Mets need. The last few years have been littered with signings like Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo that have drained the Mets of their resources. Alderson seems like he wouldn’t let that happen.
I happen to agree that Daniels, while intriguing, may not be the kind of personality the Mets need right now. Alderson is known for his aggressiveness and forceful personality, and could provide the Mets front office with a jolt of energy and instant respectability around the league.
Sandy Alderson should be the clear choice to be in charge of baseball operations for the Mets for the foreseeable future, and could bring the Mets back from the brink.