Red Sox executive Raquel Ferreira won’t interview for Mets’ top baseball job

Cross another name off the list in the Mets’ search for a top baseball executive.

Raquel Ferreira, a Red Sox executive vice president and assistant general manager, spoke to Mets officials in recent days about their front-office search, but has opted not to formally interview for the top baseball operations position, The Post confirmed Thursday night. Ferreira decided that the job was not currently a fit, as The Boston Globe first reported.

Ferreira, who has been with the Red Sox since 1999, spoke with the Mets this week in an introductory session that allowed both sides to determine whether there was mutual interest, as The Post has reported.

Following those conversations, Ferreira became the latest candidate to bow out of the Mets’ search for a chief of baseball operations. Whether through targets declining to pursue the job or teams not allowing employees to interview for the opening, the list now includes former Red Sox and Cubs GM Theo Epstein, Athletics executive VP of baseball operations Billy Beane, Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns and GM Matt Arnold, Giants GM Scott Harris, Dodgers assistant GMs Brandon Gomes and Jeff Kingston, Cardinals GM Mike Girsch, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro, Twins assistant GM Daniel Adler and Ferreira.

Billy Eppler, a former Angels general manager and Yankees assistant general manager, is the latest name to emerge on the Mets’ radar as their long search continues. Owner Steve Cohen is running the search with counsel from team president Sandy Alderson, among others.

Ferreira, who has a hand in all of the Red Sox’s baseball operations, could have sought to become just the second female head of baseball operations in MLB. Kim Ng became the first when the Marlins hired her as GM last year.

The Mets set out for a second straight offseason to hire a president of baseball operations, but have once again experienced difficulty in doing so and appear increasingly likely to settle for hiring a GM. That was the case last year, when they hired Jared Porter, who was subsequently fired after it was revealed he had sent lewd text messages to a female reporter while he was working for the Cubs.

That led to Zack Scott taking over as acting general manager — until September, when he was placed on administrative leave after pleading not guilty to a DWI charge. It became evident on Monday that he will not be returning to the Mets as he awaits trial.

In the meantime, Alderson has resumed running the baseball operations department, along with assistant GMs Ian Levin and Bryn Alderson. They will be tasked with making decisions, at least in the short-term, with qualifying offers due by Sunday and free agency officially beginning Sunday at 5 p.m. The Mets are expected to make Michael Conforto a qualifying offer, set to be worth $18.4 million, but the case for Noah Syndergaard is less clear-cut.

Alderson and his deputies are also likely to represent the Mets at the GM meetings, which begin Monday in Southern California as MLB’s offseason calendar kicks into gear.

— Additional reporting by Joel Sherman