Another day came and went Friday with no announcement from the Mets that they had settled on the next person to run their baseball operations department.
But once that person finally is hired, he or she will have to get to work on the fly, with less than three weeks left until a potential work stoppage across Major League Baseball, unless a new collective bargaining agreement is agreed upon before 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1.
Even without that looming deadline, and the freeze on player transactions that would follow, there’s a long to-do list that awaits the new general manager, who remained to be determined as of Friday. Former Nationals assistant GM Adam Cromie, who met with Mets owner Steve Cohen earlier in the week, and former Angels GM Billy Eppler were at the forefront of the search, which has been going on for nearly six weeks.
Among the first orders of business for the new GM will be finding a manager and filling out the coaching staff. Only pitching coach Jeremy Hefner remains from Luis Rojas’ 2021 staff.
Team president Sandy Alderson, who has been serving as GM since September, pointed out that there wouldn’t be much competition for a manager because the Athletics are the only other team currently without one, but hiring the rest of the staff could present more challenges.
“There’s a little concern about the coaching staff,” Alderson told reporters at the GM’s meetings this week. “There’s been a run on hitting coaches this offseason. Everyone has been looking. The same conditions don’t apply to the coaches as easily as they do to a manager. On the other hand, major league jobs are difficult to find. There aren’t that many of them, and I’m confident we’ll end up with a coaching staff we like.”
The new GM will also have to get up to speed with Alderson and Cohen on determining the team’s plan for free agents and potential trades — whether they happen before a possible lockout or after.
Alderson has already taken care of making qualifying offers to Michael Conforto (he is planning to decline) and Noah Syndergaard, and said he convened with agents at the GM’s meetings. There are plenty of needs to address — most pressing are third base, the outfield and bolstering the rotation.
While Alderson said the new executive will have “lots” of payroll flexibility, he appeared wary of signing free agents who rejected qualifying offers, which would cost the Mets their second first-round draft pick (No. 14-overall). Free agents who are expected to decline the qualifying offer and could otherwise figure to be of interest to the Mets include Robbie Ray, Justin Verlander and Nick Castellanos.
“Our first instinct would be to protect those draft picks,” Alderson said. “As I’ve said, as Steve’s said, we’re in this for the long haul. We want to improve the team to the point that it’s sustained success once it’s achieved. We’ve got to be careful.”
One free-agent outfielder who would not cost the Mets a draft pick is Starling Marte. They have already shown interest in him, MLB Network reported Friday. The 33-year-old could slot into center field and bump Brandon Nimmo to a corner spot, with Conforto potentially signing elsewhere.
It’s just one of the many decisions awaiting the Mets’ new GM, though Alderson is likely to assist at least until the new hire gets caught up.
“I think that will depend on who the general manager is and what level of experience they have,” Alderson said. “I will be available. I won’t be omnipresent, but certainly would expect to be available and provide whatever insight I can. That’s also a function of not just level of experience, but also time, so that I might be more involved in conversations or in consultation or advice early, rather than late. As this person becomes more familiar with the organization, more comfortable in the role, I would expect that my involvement would diminish.”