Mets part ways with Zack Scott two months after DWI arrest
Acting general manager Zack Scott’s tenure with the Mets is officially finished, following his placement on administrative leave in September for a DWI arrest.
An industry source confirmed Monday that Scott won’t be returning to the organization. SNY first reported Scott’s departure. The 44-year-old Scott, who is awaiting trial, was holding out hope as recently as last week that he might return, according to a source.
The Mets are searching for a front office leader after a tumultuous season in which team president Sandy Alderson was thrust into the GM role, as the infrastructure crumbled. It started in January, when Alderson’s handpicked general manager Jared Porter was fired after just over a month on the job, when it became public he had sent inappropriate text messages and pictures to a female journalist during his tenure with the Cubs.
The assistant GM Scott was elevated to Porter’s position on an interim basis. Scott, who arrived from the Red Sox, was a finalist for the position when Porter got hired.
Scott was arrested at 4:17 a.m. on Aug. 31 in White Plains, after police found him asleep in a 2018 Toyota on South Lexington Avenue, near the federal courthouse and police headquarters, according to police. After refusing to give blood or submit to a Breathalyzer, Scott failed a field sobriety test.
He was also charged with stopping on a highway, disobeying a traffic control device and failing to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles about a change of address. Scott had attended a fundraiser at team owner Steve Cohen’s home in Greenwich, Conn., earlier that night, but according to multiple sources the event ended by 9 p.m.
After pleading not guilty, Scott appeared in court last month. His case is due for trial on Dec. 8.
Alderson has been running the baseball operations department — along with assistant GMs Ian Levin and Bryn Alderson — since Scott was placed on administrative leave. The team is seeking a president of baseball operations or perhaps at this point a general manager to oversee the front office.
An industry source confirmed the Mets have interest in speaking with Raquel Ferreira, an executive vice president and assistant GM with the Red Sox. It’s believed the Red Sox are willing to grant that permission, but less clear is whether she is interested in interviewing. Last offseason, the Marlins hired Kim Ng as the first female GM in MLB history. Ferreira could be the second.
Others on the Mets’ radar include Cardinals assistant GM Randy Flores, Rays vice president of player development Carlos Rodriguez, Twins assistant general manager Daniel Adler and Braves assistant general manager Ben Sestanovich, according to sources.
Those who have declined interviews with the Mets include Giants GM Scott Harris, Cardinals GM Mike Girsch and Dodgers assistant GM Jeff Kingston. In addition, Brewers GM Matt Arnold used the Mets’ interest in him to secure a contract extension with the club. Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro was denied permission to interview with the Mets after indicating he wasn’t interested in the position.
The Mets’ wish list to begin the offseason included Theo Epstein, Billy Beane and David Stearns, but all were removed from consideration for various reasons. Epstein, a consultant for MLB who constructed World Series winners with the Red Sox and Cubs, mutually agreed with Cohen that the Mets weren’t a fit, according to sources. Oakland’s Beane had reservations about uprooting his family and the Mets never received permission to speak with Stearns, the president of baseball operations for Milwaukee.