Alderson does not see himself returning to the position in the future, regardless of his healthGETTY IMAGES
Mets GM Sandy Alderson's cancer has returned, and he will be "taking an immediate leave of absence from his role," according to Daniel Popper of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Alderson will be "relinquishing his authority over the Mets’ baseball decisions," and the trio of Senior VP/Baseball Operations & Assistant GM John Ricco and Special Assistants to the GM J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya will "take over on an interim basis for the remainder of the season." Alderson "does not see himself returning to his position at any point in the future -- both because of his health and his performance." This situation is "different than the one the Mets endured two-and-a-half years ago, when Alderson was first diagnosed with cancer" in December '15. Alderson maintained his "decision-making authority during that offseason and into the spring." This "likely signifies the end of Alderson’s tenure" with the Mets, which "spanned parts of eight seasons." Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said that Alderson on Sunday told him of his decision (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/27). Asked about his desire to return to the Mets after treatment, Alderson said, "If I were to look at it on the merits, I’m not sure coming back is warranted." In N.Y., James Wagner notes Wilpon would "not say when or if Alderson would return." Wilpon said that Alderson's "health was the priority." Alderson had "not been traveling with the Mets as often as he used to." He admitted that it had been "hard to keep up with the pace of the job" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/27). Alderson was hired after the '10 season to "replace Minaya," and the Mets are 582-628 since then. That includes "two postseason appearances along with an NL East title and World Series appearance" in '15 (USA TODAY, 6/27).
MIXED TENURE: In New Jersey, Steve Popper notes Alderson's results "over time were mixed," accomplishing the first goal that the Wilpons and MLB demanded when he joined the team from the commissioner's office, "shepherding the franchise through the after-effects of the Madoff scandal with payroll cuts, and then building back up" (Bergen RECORD, 6/27). On Long Island, Anthony Rieber notes nearly everything Alderson did to "try to get the Mets into contention this season backfired." They have a "barren farm system, owners who would rather pinch pennies than spend dollars, and a rookie manager who may or not be overmatched" (NEWSDAY, 6/27). FiveThiryEight's Neil Paine said this "seems to be a turning point for the Mets as a franchise this season after a couple of years where they’ve had some down years." He said Alderson's leave "might be a moment in time in which they go in, maybe, a new and a different direction” ("MLB Now," MLB Network, 6/26). SNY's Jon Hein said Alderson put Ricco, Ricciardi and Minaya in the front office "for a reason." Hein: "Whether it be this year, next year or the year after some change was going to occur, but we're not talking about small decisions." SNY's Dan Graca: "We're talking about franchise altering moves." Hein: "There's so many decisions that have to be made and now, of course, with this on top of that shows the difficulty the Mets have been having in making those moves" ("Loud Mouths," SNY, 6/26).
END OF AN ERA: In N.Y., Kristie Ackert notes Wilpon "reinforced that it is the end of the Alderson era when he twice refused to answer if the GM could return once he is completely healthy." The announcement was a "bombshell," though the move itself "isn’t all that surprising." Despite Alderson's efforts to "change the culture and set the Mets on the right track, this organization is a mess right now." Instead of changing the culture, the Mets are "mired in yet another debacle" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/27). Also in N.Y., John Harper writes, "Alderson did the honorable thing, essentially saying that, based on merit, he doesn’t deserve to return even when health allows, making it easy on the Wilpons and the organization to move on without him" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/27). SNY's Willie Colon noted Wilpon held off talking about the Mets' next steps, saying, "I applaud Wilpon for at least saying, 'Hey, let's address that on a later note. Let's have some respect for this man and this time.'" The N.Y. Daily News' Amara Grautski said, "It would have been poor timing to say something like that. Sandy is making it easy for them if that is the route they want to go towards. ... Sandy did the right thing in that he has struggled in this role lately" ("Loud Mouths," SNY, 6/26).
TAKE A BITE OUT OF THE APPLE? With reports that A's Exec VP/Baseball Operations Billy Beane could leave the organization when his contract expires after the '19 season, NBC Sports Bay Area's Ray Ratto wondered if he could be interested in the Mets job. Alderson immediately preceded Beane as A's GM, but Ratto noted Beane "wouldn’t get a bigger payroll" in N.Y. than he has in Oakland. Ratto: "The Mets have less money than the A’s do. They spend money, but they're well on the cheap side. I don't know why Billy Beane would go across the country from a place he would like to live to a place he wouldn't like to live to have the same problems and three times the pressure” (“The Happy Hour,” NBC Sports Bay Area, 6/26).
