I said, I find the ageism stuff tedious but the league pretty clearly moving in a clear direction that (again not age) but guys who haven't been part of this.. would seemingly be behind the 8 ball. 1 single head of a team was in his 50's during the playoffs this year (Cashman) and the WS winning GM will either be 44 or 43. A guy like Gomes, or Harris or Bendix could be completely awful but these are the types leading the best organizations in baseball in 2021.
said the position was in fact POBO (the Giants likely weren't going to let him interview for a linear job, and for him that wouldn't have made sense either).
didn't "interview" per se, he "declined to be considered a candidate".
looks like he was born in redwood city and went to ucla. maybe he likes being back in CA?
Impressive how meteoric his rise to GM has been. He graduated in 2009 and had a coordinator title for 2 years (presumably entry level). Theo grabbed him and 7 years later he's a GM.
I said, I find the ageism stuff tedious but the league pretty clearly moving in a clear direction that (again not age) but guys who haven't been part of this.. would seemingly be behind the 8 ball. 1 single head of a team was in his 50's during the playoffs this year (Cashman) and the WS winning GM will either be 44 or 43. A guy like Gomes, or Harris or Bendix could be completely awful but these are the types leading the best organizations in baseball in 2021.
As a fan of an organization completely turned around by Lou Lamoriello over the last 3 years I'm the opposite of ageist. I more just don't see any upside over what's already in the building with Sandy. Those guys couldn't rebuild the front offices of their old teams as they were transitioning out.
Essentially have Byrnes as the GM without the title which allows them to keep Gomes (reportedly will be named GM, haven’t had one since 2019). Very smart
but surely he’s not doing all the work there right? Identify the #2-5 people in their org structure and give them all better titles and 2.5X salary. Tampa is a cheap organization and won’t be able to outbid. Ask the new guys who the talented lower level people are in Tampa and raid them with more raises and promotions.
I’m ranting here but I’d like to see Cohen get more aggressive here. No one should be able to compete with our resources, so I hope he’s willing to go all-in here.
was one such case but he’s staying put. Metsnut as for multiple guys, the Rays would have to give permission for more than one to leave during one off-season.
The fucking NY sports media and how things are covered here is our biggest obstacle.
I truly believe quality people just don't want the hassle and will take less to avoid it.
Does this make sense to anyone else?
I think there's some reality to this but it's beyond just the media. It's that any of the guys in discussion will instantly go from an almost unknown person to being "famous" over night.
whoever gets hired is going to be pushed into the spotlight and there can be good and bad that come along with that. if they fail it won't be fun.
or they can stick with their current comfortable situations and just keep doing their thing behind the scenes and still get paid very well, not have to move their families, etc.
at the end of the day money talks and there's no excuse to not get someone good. but I do think in terms of personality type it's more likely to be an appealing job to someone with charisma like Porter last year. he was good with the media. BVW was great with the media too he just lacked...just about every other relevant skill. But I don't think a lot of these guys who have been behind the scenes grinding statcast numbers and launch angles are particularly enthused about becoming celebrities overnight and having to dedicate such a big chunk of their job to dealing with the media and PR. that's where Sandy needs to be willing to step up and shelter the right candidate if that's the area they are worried about.
not being snarky but you really expect a candidate to say "I'm concerned about..." when Thad Levine and Josh Byrnes turned down the Phillies last year they cited how much they loved their current organizations. We will likely never hear Beane/Theo's rationale but I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, neither one would ever say "I don't like Cohen" or "I don't like the fact the Alderson's are there". Nobody is ever going to do that, even somebody completely established. Matt Arnold takes an interview with the Mets, feels the FO situation is complicated, he's not going to ever say that, ever.
Just spitballing here but maybe, just maybe, we should wait to see who they hire then judge the results?
That will not only be a publicly known fact but there will likely be a press conference and everything.
Or we get our panties in a knot now because of something "some in the game have pointed out".
Of course whomever they hire will kiss Sandy/Cohen's ass. Again, when is somebody hired that doesn't do that? This idea Sandy would be a major "help" hiring a big fish has been proven false. Whether that's his "fault" or not is another story. A Matt Arnold type would be a great hire, if they hire him it won't be because Sandy Alderson was appealing and was able to sell Arnold on Steve Cohen after 12 months of knowing the man.
Mike Puma
@NYPost_Mets
·
1m
The Mets' top candidate for president of baseball operations at the moment appears to be Brewers general manager Matt Arnold. There has been contact, and I'm hearing the Mets may have made him an offer.
read. Arnold would be POBO, presumably he'd bring in a GM as well. I was hoping for Arnold/Bendix, but Arnold/Rodriguez would work too Link - ( New Window )
Matt Arnold
Senior Vice President and General Manager
Matt Arnold, 42, enters his sixth season with the Brewers and third as senior vice president. He was named the 10th general manager in franchise history on November 19, 2020. He originally joined the organization as vice president and assistant general manager on October 14, 2015.
Arnold assists President of Baseball Operations David Stearns with day-to-day baseball processes and provides functional oversight of all departments within baseball operations. His areas of focus include Major League operations, roster construction, financial planning, staffing and personnel development, contract negotiations and player personnel decisions. He also helps supervise player development, medical operations, integrative sports performance, foreign and domestic scouting and analytics.
Prior to joining the Brewers, Arnold spent nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, assisting then Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman with player acquisitions, contract negotiations and player evaluations at all levels. His responsibilities also included strategic planning, foreign and domestic special assignments and coordinating advance scouting for the postseason. Additionally, he worked to develop the process of integrating science, biomechanics and human movement analysis within all levels of baseball operations.
Arnold transitioned from the Cincinnati Reds front office to Tampa Bay following the 2006 season as a professional scout. He was promoted to director of professional scouting in November 2009 and to director of player personnel in June 2015. During his time in Tampa Bay, the team won over 90 games in five of six seasons from 2008 and 2013 and qualified for the postseason four times (2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013), including the franchise's first World Series appearance in 2008.
Arnold, who has 20 seasons of professional baseball experience, has also served roles with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2000), Texas Rangers (2002) and Cincinnati Reds (2003-06). In Cincinnati, Arnold served as assistant director of professional scouting with his duties including player analysis, financial planning and arbitration, and he was also involved in advance, amateur and professional scouting.
Originally from California, Arnold graduated from the University of California-Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in economics in 2001. He merited academic honors, including Sport Management Student of the Year as a junior.
read. Arnold would be POBO, presumably he'd bring in a GM as well. I was hoping for Arnold/Bendix, but Arnold/Rodriguez would work too Link - ( New Window )
Nice read.
Quote:
Arnold once said that his father told him Arnold knew so much about baseball that he’d make a great cab driver someday.
Rodriguez, who may or may not be a GM candidate if they hire Arnold
Carlos Rodriguez
VICE PRESIDENT, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING
Carlos Rodriguez enters his 11th season with the Rays and his second as vice president of player development and international scouting. In this role, Rodriguez reports to Erik Neander and assists in all areas of baseball operations, while overseeing the club’s player development system, baseball performance science, international scouting and academy operations. From 2015 through 2019, Rodriguez served as director of international scouting, following three years as director of Latin American scouting (2012-14). During this stretch, he played a key role in scouting and signing José Alvarado, Vidal Bruján, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, Wander Franco, Moisés Gómez, Ronaldo Hernández and Jesús Sánchez, among others. Rodriguez joined the Rays in the fall of 2010 as a professional and international scout after four seasons with the Blue Jays as an area scout. In 2009, he signed Yan Gomes from Barry University, the first Brazilian-born player to reach the major leagues. Rodriguez also spent a season as an intern for the Brewers. A native of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez attended the University of North Florida where he played and served as an assistant coach. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in business, double majoring in international business and economics. He and his wife, Omayra, reside in Tampa with their daughter, Eva Marie.
Rodriguez, who may or may not be a GM candidate if they hire Arnold
Carlos Rodriguez
VICE PRESIDENT, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING
Carlos Rodriguez enters his 11th season with the Rays and his second as vice president of player development and international scouting. In this role, Rodriguez reports to Erik Neander and assists in all areas of baseball operations, while overseeing the club’s player development system, baseball performance science, international scouting and academy operations. From 2015 through 2019, Rodriguez served as director of international scouting, following three years as director of Latin American scouting (2012-14). During this stretch, he played a key role in scouting and signing José Alvarado, Vidal Bruján, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, Wander Franco, Moisés Gómez, Ronaldo Hernández and Jesús Sánchez, among others. Rodriguez joined the Rays in the fall of 2010 as a professional and international scout after four seasons with the Blue Jays as an area scout. In 2009, he signed Yan Gomes from Barry University, the first Brazilian-born player to reach the major leagues. Rodriguez also spent a season as an intern for the Brewers. A native of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez attended the University of North Florida where he played and served as an assistant coach. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in business, double majoring in international business and economics. He and his wife, Omayra, reside in Tampa with their daughter, Eva Marie.
"There is some thought if Arnold takes the Mets job he will look to hire somebody working in the Rays’ front office as the general manager to work with him." -Puma
(With Peter Bendix reportedly not interested (though does that change post-Arnold?) Carlos Rodriguez remains an interesting name
Of course whomever they hire will kiss Sandy/Cohen's ass. Again, when is somebody hired that doesn't do that? This idea Sandy would be a major "help" hiring a big fish has been proven false. Whether that's his "fault" or not is another story. A Matt Arnold type would be a great hire, if they hire him it won't be because Sandy Alderson was appealing and was able to sell Arnold on Steve Cohen after 12 months of knowing the man.
Mike Puma
@NYPost_Mets
·
1m
The Mets' top candidate for president of baseball operations at the moment appears to be Brewers general manager Matt Arnold. There has been contact, and I'm hearing the Mets may have made him an offer.
if this ends up being the hire I agree it's unlikely Sandy had any sort of meaningful direct relationship.
however if you think it's a good hire, doesn't it show that Sandy ran a good search and made a good choice (with the search ultimately unfolding a lot like last year)? I'd be surprised if Cohen knows Arnold from a hole in the wall.
you believe reports, Sandy was not involved in any of the previous interviews so while I don't want to go back and forth on this topic, it feels like Sandy was far less involved in the search than was being reported. He (for instance) didn't meet with Scott Harris). Cohen did, directly.
you believe reports, Sandy was not involved in any of the previous interviews so while I don't want to go back and forth on this topic, it feels like Sandy was far less involved in the search than was being reported. He (for instance) didn't meet with Scott Harris). Cohen did, directly.
This decision has always been Cohen's to make. Sandy generates the list and it's clear Cohen values his input, but this is Cohen's franchise and the decision of who to run it was always going to require an investment only he can green light (whether it was equity for Theo/Beane or a big check to lure one of these young guys away from their current situation, Stearns included).
you believe reports, Sandy was not involved in any of the previous interviews so while I don't want to go back and forth on this topic, it feels like Sandy was far less involved in the search than was being reported. He (for instance) didn't meet with Scott Harris). Cohen did, directly.
This decision has always been Cohen's to make. Sandy generates the list and it's clear Cohen values his input, but this is Cohen's franchise and the decision of who to run it was always going to require an investment only he can green light (whether it was equity for Theo/Beane or a big check to lure one of these young guys away from their current situation, Stearns included).
Genuinely curious, where is the evidence that Sandy "generated the list"? I haven't ready anything suggesting how the Mets were coming up with candidates.
for a Sandy connection, there is no obvious one. Brewers and Rays for the past 15 seasons, Dodgers/Rangers/Reds before that.
unless i'm forgetting something there was no Sandy connection to Porter (or Scott) either.
Sandy has never been the right guy for Cohen to bring back for just 1 reason. He has been a successful executive in MLB for 3 decades, including here, for a variety of reasons. Relationships with some of the bigger fish was one of those reasons but just like last year when the search pivoted to younger candidates there were still positives to his presence even if he didn't have a direction prior relationship.
you believe reports, Sandy was not involved in any of the previous interviews so while I don't want to go back and forth on this topic, it feels like Sandy was far less involved in the search than was being reported. He (for instance) didn't meet with Scott Harris). Cohen did, directly.
This decision has always been Cohen's to make. Sandy generates the list and it's clear Cohen values his input, but this is Cohen's franchise and the decision of who to run it was always going to require an investment only he can green light (whether it was equity for Theo/Beane or a big check to lure one of these young guys away from their current situation, Stearns included).
Genuinely curious, where is the evidence that Sandy "generated the list"? I haven't ready anything suggesting how the Mets were coming up with candidates.
Who do you think is running the search if not him? Scott is on leave. Levin and Tanous are supposedly candidates. Who do you think is the point person formulating the list and presenting it to Cohen? The head of HR?
semi-serious fans knew of every one of the candidates (we know of) that the Mets have spoken to. Doesn't look at all like they needed some "deep dive" to identify them. In fact, the only one I didn't know a ton about before it was reported was Bendix. Matt Arnold has been a hot name for a while now, Angels and Marlins both were in on him recently.
could be a firm he hired, it could be John Ricco, it could be Tommy Tanous, it could be any number of people. Not really clear why Sandy Alderson would have some extensive list of secondary executives to suggest to Cohen. Why would Sandy Alderson know Peter Bendix? 4th in command in TB, 36 years old etc? Based on what?
it has nothing to do with who he knows it's who Cohen assigns the task
to lead. I don't know what's so confusing about Cohen likely delegating this task to the guy he specifically hired to be his senior guy running the team and has the most experience by far?
Who do you think made the decision on Rojas?
whoever the new hire is, who do you think is going to be the person to intro him and answer questions about why they chose him to the media?
I'd imagine it will be the same person who has been fielding questions on the topic for the last month and giving public comments on behalf of the franchise?
Quote:
Alderson said he hasn't yet reached out to any candidates. He also declined to name any names on his shortlist for the position.
Quote:
Asked what the Mets have to sell to prospective candidates that could lead their baseball operations, he said: “I’m selling Steve Cohen, I’m selling New York, I’m selling the opportunity to realize on the potential of a storied but not yet iconic franchise. I think there’s a tremendous amount to offer someone coming to the Mets. Is it a set piece? Is it something that doesn’t require a certain amount of work? No. That’s where the real enjoyment comes in, is creating something."
Quote:
Scott is currently on an indefinite administrative leave (more on that soon), but the Mets have a front office in place. A big question: Will they completely clean house when they hire a president of baseball operations?
"Well, so the practical answer to that question is that a new person coming in isn’t going to want to have to deal with all those type of infrastructure issues immediately," Alderson said. "They’re going to be happy to have a functioning group of capable people who will be able to move the team during those weeks and months that they become more familiar with the operation, more familiar with the individual abilities of the front-office employees or other within the organization."
During a different answer, Alderson said "anybody's tenure with the Mets will be subject to the decision of a new head of baseball operations." It sounds as if Alderson would like to have some structure in place for the big hire, even on an interim basis. Then the new hire can evaluate the situation and make changes if necessary.
Alderson never signed on to lead baseball operations, so he said he'll be happy to turn it over to the upcoming hire. After that person takes over, Alderson said he'll be "present and interested in the baseball side, but my involvement will depend on how much this new head of baseball operations wants from me."
you're sticking with Sandy Alderson needing to be here for Cohen to land a... Matt Arnold? He needed to be sold on Cohen by a man he presumably barely knows?
also presumably just made the call to keep Hefner so his "hands off" the baseball side sure seems to be false. They held an option on Hefner, why not wait?
yes I'm sticking with Sandy as a great choice for Cohen
to help him build out his baseball organization for a number of reasons.
he has as much experience in baseball as any executive in the sport.
for a top executive he has had very little ego and been very grounded the entire decade he's been involved with the mets - to the point that he acknowledged he may not have earned the right to be GM anymore in 2018 just a few years off the playoff runs. So I believe his countless comments in the last year that he isn't looking to remain overly involved.
he has a reputation of being able to work with and hiring other talented individuals (which he did here with Depo, JP, Tannous, Tramuta, and seemed to be on track with porter/scott).
and unlike just about anyone else Cohen could have hired Sandy had almost a decade of recent experience here with this organization. He knew all the people here inside and out.
None of that has anything to do with his prior relationship specifically with Beane or Theo (I don't believe they spoke to either last year). But yes the relationships he has from being a respected guy in MLB for 30+ years are a value too.
Dodgers model did not include "building from within" with a bunch of long time Dodger employees. Friedman went out and poached the best of the best.
Zaidi from Oakland was considered a GENIUS
Byrnes an ex-GM brought in SD
AA formerly the Blue Jays GM
Gomes was with Friedman in TB (who hired him with the Dodgers)
Kingston was brought over from Seattle where he'd already received GM buzz
Ismael Cruz was actually head of international scouting for the Mets when he left for Toronto and finally LAD
Turnaround doesn't happen in a day but it very much involves bringing in a bunch of talented FO from other places and not a FO built of long time Mets employees.
RE: yes I'm sticking with Sandy as a great choice for Cohen
to help him build out his baseball organization for a number of reasons.
he has as much experience in baseball as any executive in the sport.
for a top executive he has had very little ego and been very grounded the entire decade he's been involved with the mets - to the point that he acknowledged he may not have earned the right to be GM anymore in 2018 just a few years off the playoff runs. So I believe his countless comments in the last year that he isn't looking to remain overly involved.
he has a reputation of being able to work with and hiring other talented individuals (which he did here with Depo, JP, Tannous, Tramuta, and seemed to be on track with porter/scott).
and unlike just about anyone else Cohen could have hired Sandy had almost a decade of recent experience here with this organization. He knew all the people here inside and out.
None of that has anything to do with his prior relationship specifically with Beane or Theo (I don't believe they spoke to either last year). But yes the relationships he has from being a respected guy in MLB for 30+ years are a value too.
Theo told all teams he wasn't interested in speaking about MLB jobs last year, Beane was never an "option" he was working on that SPAC that fell apart but he was either OUT of baseball or remaining with Oakland.
before the Porter stuff came out? I guess I’m wondering whether the Mets would keep him as one of 4-5 direct reports to the new GM or whether it would just be better to move on.
Dodgers model did not include "building from within" with a bunch of long time Dodger employees. Friedman went out and poached the best of the best.
Zaidi from Oakland was considered a GENIUS
Byrnes an ex-GM brought in SD
AA formerly the Blue Jays GM
Gomes was with Friedman in TB (who hired him with the Dodgers)
Kingston was brought over from Seattle where he'd already received GM buzz
Ismael Cruz was actually head of international scouting for the Mets when he left for Toronto and finally LAD
Turnaround doesn't happen in a day but it very much involves bringing in a bunch of talented FO from other places and not a FO built of long time Mets employees.
Hires under Cohen:
Jared Porter from ARI/CHC/BOS.
Zack Scott from BOS.
Ben Zauzemer from the LAD.
it seems like a lock the new hires will be from the outside and with full autonomy to add others from the outside.
prior to Cohen I believe Sandy brought in all of Depo/Jp/Tramuta/Tannous from the outside.
this idea that Cohen isn't open to hiring from other clubs is bizarre when he's so far been blocked by other clubs from hiring people more than anyone except maybe Pat Shurmur.
before the Porter stuff came out? I guess I’m wondering whether the Mets would keep him as one of 4-5 direct reports to the new GM or whether it would just be better to move on.
The general sentiment was yes. I believe the Mets said he had been a candidate for GM along with Porter, and then based on their relationship Porter was able to convince him to come over. It seemed like the plan was to relatively quickly promote Porter to PBO and Scott to GM assuming things were going well...which turned out to be a very bad assumption very quickly.
Dodgers model did not include "building from within" with a bunch of long time Dodger employees. Friedman went out and poached the best of the best.
Zaidi from Oakland was considered a GENIUS
Byrnes an ex-GM brought in SD
AA formerly the Blue Jays GM
Gomes was with Friedman in TB (who hired him with the Dodgers)
Kingston was brought over from Seattle where he'd already received GM buzz
Ismael Cruz was actually head of international scouting for the Mets when he left for Toronto and finally LAD
Turnaround doesn't happen in a day but it very much involves bringing in a bunch of talented FO from other places and not a FO built of long time Mets employees.
Hires under Cohen:
Jared Porter from ARI/CHC/BOS.
Zack Scott from BOS.
Ben Zauzemer from the LAD.
it seems like a lock the new hires will be from the outside and with full autonomy to add others from the outside.
prior to Cohen I believe Sandy brought in all of Depo/Jp/Tramuta/Tannous from the outside.
this idea that Cohen isn't open to hiring from other clubs is bizarre when he's so far been blocked by other clubs from hiring people more than anyone except maybe Pat Shurmur.
One analytics hire for a team that had 3 (vs 20ish for the Yankees) given all of the talk isn’t exactly impressive. Also who exactly were they going to hire internally as their GM if they didn’t hire a Porter? They didn’t even have reasonable candidates. Who said anything about open to hiring them? They talked up following the Dodgers model but they haven’t really done much (yet) to follow this. Have you read/heard about an influx of scouting hires? Or analytics hires? These presumably were things that could have been done with or without Porter.
Has always been viewed as a “depth” guy and not one to lead an organization. Very smart, analytics based but not known as a great communicator and was never one of the “hot shot” names like a Bloom, Zaidi, Friedman, Stearns etc
like wasn't his primary role rebuilding a lot of the same type of team he built in Boston from the ground up?
when porter left and Scott had to step into a bigger job I think that understandably had to get pushed to a back burner.
Scott’s forte was analytics. Whether he was given the ability to make these hires and/or was unable to do so because of Porter being fired I have no clue. Seems like only something part of the FO would be able to answer
here's the story I remembered from when he was shotgun promoted
In September 2018, a Red Sox team official pointed to the unfathomable standings on the Green Monster, the ones that showed Boston with 100 wins and more than two weeks to play.
“The reason we’re where we are there,” the official said, “is because of what they’ve done up there,” pointing to the office that houses the club’s department of analytics.
Over the previous four years, Scott had remade that department, turning an increased investment from ownership, increased autonomy from the front office and increased interest from the dugout into a baseball behemoth. Given the chance to build his own team of analysts as the vice president of research and development under Dave Dombrowski in 2015, Scott embraced every part of the challenge.
“That was really the first time I felt like I was put in a leadership position,” Scott said. “I loved it. I thought that managing people would be a strength of mine, and then I actually had a chance to show it.”
looks like he was born in redwood city and went to ucla. maybe he likes being back in CA?
Impressive how meteoric his rise to GM has been. He graduated in 2009 and had a coordinator title for 2 years (presumably entry level). Theo grabbed him and 7 years later he's a GM.
As a fan of an organization completely turned around by Lou Lamoriello over the last 3 years I'm the opposite of ageist. I more just don't see any upside over what's already in the building with Sandy. Those guys couldn't rebuild the front offices of their old teams as they were transitioning out.
I’m ranting here but I’d like to see Cohen get more aggressive here. No one should be able to compete with our resources, so I hope he’s willing to go all-in here.
The fucking NY sports media and how things are covered here is our biggest obstacle.
I truly believe quality people just don't want the hassle and will take less to avoid it.
Does this make sense to anyone else?
The fucking NY sports media and how things are covered here is our biggest obstacle.
I truly believe quality people just don't want the hassle and will take less to avoid it.
Does this make sense to anyone else?
I think there's some reality to this but it's beyond just the media. It's that any of the guys in discussion will instantly go from an almost unknown person to being "famous" over night.
whoever gets hired is going to be pushed into the spotlight and there can be good and bad that come along with that. if they fail it won't be fun.
or they can stick with their current comfortable situations and just keep doing their thing behind the scenes and still get paid very well, not have to move their families, etc.
at the end of the day money talks and there's no excuse to not get someone good. but I do think in terms of personality type it's more likely to be an appealing job to someone with charisma like Porter last year. he was good with the media. BVW was great with the media too he just lacked...just about every other relevant skill. But I don't think a lot of these guys who have been behind the scenes grinding statcast numbers and launch angles are particularly enthused about becoming celebrities overnight and having to dedicate such a big chunk of their job to dealing with the media and PR. that's where Sandy needs to be willing to step up and shelter the right candidate if that's the area they are worried about.
@timbhealey
·
12s
Jeremy Hefner is returning as pitching coach for 2022, the Mets announced.
Really has*
Quote:
In comment 15422512 DanMetroMan said:
Quote:
not being snarky but you really expect a candidate to say "I'm concerned about..." when Thad Levine and Josh Byrnes turned down the Phillies last year they cited how much they loved their current organizations. We will likely never hear Beane/Theo's rationale but I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, neither one would ever say "I don't like Cohen" or "I don't like the fact the Alderson's are there". Nobody is ever going to do that, even somebody completely established. Matt Arnold takes an interview with the Mets, feels the FO situation is complicated, he's not going to ever say that, ever.
Just spitballing here but maybe, just maybe, we should wait to see who they hire then judge the results?
That will not only be a publicly known fact but there will likely be a press conference and everything.
Or we get our panties in a knot now because of something "some in the game have pointed out".
Of course whomever they hire will kiss Sandy/Cohen's ass. Again, when is somebody hired that doesn't do that? This idea Sandy would be a major "help" hiring a big fish has been proven false. Whether that's his "fault" or not is another story. A Matt Arnold type would be a great hire, if they hire him it won't be because Sandy Alderson was appealing and was able to sell Arnold on Steve Cohen after 12 months of knowing the man.
Mike Puma
@NYPost_Mets
·
1m
The Mets' top candidate for president of baseball operations at the moment appears to be Brewers general manager Matt Arnold. There has been contact, and I'm hearing the Mets may have made him an offer.
Link - ( New Window )
Senior Vice President and General Manager
Matt Arnold, 42, enters his sixth season with the Brewers and third as senior vice president. He was named the 10th general manager in franchise history on November 19, 2020. He originally joined the organization as vice president and assistant general manager on October 14, 2015.
Arnold assists President of Baseball Operations David Stearns with day-to-day baseball processes and provides functional oversight of all departments within baseball operations. His areas of focus include Major League operations, roster construction, financial planning, staffing and personnel development, contract negotiations and player personnel decisions. He also helps supervise player development, medical operations, integrative sports performance, foreign and domestic scouting and analytics.
Prior to joining the Brewers, Arnold spent nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, assisting then Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman with player acquisitions, contract negotiations and player evaluations at all levels. His responsibilities also included strategic planning, foreign and domestic special assignments and coordinating advance scouting for the postseason. Additionally, he worked to develop the process of integrating science, biomechanics and human movement analysis within all levels of baseball operations.
Arnold transitioned from the Cincinnati Reds front office to Tampa Bay following the 2006 season as a professional scout. He was promoted to director of professional scouting in November 2009 and to director of player personnel in June 2015. During his time in Tampa Bay, the team won over 90 games in five of six seasons from 2008 and 2013 and qualified for the postseason four times (2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013), including the franchise's first World Series appearance in 2008.
Arnold, who has 20 seasons of professional baseball experience, has also served roles with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2000), Texas Rangers (2002) and Cincinnati Reds (2003-06). In Cincinnati, Arnold served as assistant director of professional scouting with his duties including player analysis, financial planning and arbitration, and he was also involved in advance, amateur and professional scouting.
Originally from California, Arnold graduated from the University of California-Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in economics in 2001. He merited academic honors, including Sport Management Student of the Year as a junior.
Nice read.
Carlos Rodriguez
VICE PRESIDENT, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING
Carlos Rodriguez enters his 11th season with the Rays and his second as vice president of player development and international scouting. In this role, Rodriguez reports to Erik Neander and assists in all areas of baseball operations, while overseeing the club’s player development system, baseball performance science, international scouting and academy operations. From 2015 through 2019, Rodriguez served as director of international scouting, following three years as director of Latin American scouting (2012-14). During this stretch, he played a key role in scouting and signing José Alvarado, Vidal Bruján, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, Wander Franco, Moisés Gómez, Ronaldo Hernández and Jesús Sánchez, among others. Rodriguez joined the Rays in the fall of 2010 as a professional and international scout after four seasons with the Blue Jays as an area scout. In 2009, he signed Yan Gomes from Barry University, the first Brazilian-born player to reach the major leagues. Rodriguez also spent a season as an intern for the Brewers. A native of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez attended the University of North Florida where he played and served as an assistant coach. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in business, double majoring in international business and economics. He and his wife, Omayra, reside in Tampa with their daughter, Eva Marie.
If this is who they hire huge mea culpa from me.
Carlos Rodriguez
VICE PRESIDENT, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING
Carlos Rodriguez enters his 11th season with the Rays and his second as vice president of player development and international scouting. In this role, Rodriguez reports to Erik Neander and assists in all areas of baseball operations, while overseeing the club’s player development system, baseball performance science, international scouting and academy operations. From 2015 through 2019, Rodriguez served as director of international scouting, following three years as director of Latin American scouting (2012-14). During this stretch, he played a key role in scouting and signing José Alvarado, Vidal Bruján, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, Wander Franco, Moisés Gómez, Ronaldo Hernández and Jesús Sánchez, among others. Rodriguez joined the Rays in the fall of 2010 as a professional and international scout after four seasons with the Blue Jays as an area scout. In 2009, he signed Yan Gomes from Barry University, the first Brazilian-born player to reach the major leagues. Rodriguez also spent a season as an intern for the Brewers. A native of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez attended the University of North Florida where he played and served as an assistant coach. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in business, double majoring in international business and economics. He and his wife, Omayra, reside in Tampa with their daughter, Eva Marie.
"There is some thought if Arnold takes the Mets job he will look to hire somebody working in the Rays’ front office as the general manager to work with him." -Puma
(With Peter Bendix reportedly not interested (though does that change post-Arnold?) Carlos Rodriguez remains an interesting name
Of course whomever they hire will kiss Sandy/Cohen's ass. Again, when is somebody hired that doesn't do that? This idea Sandy would be a major "help" hiring a big fish has been proven false. Whether that's his "fault" or not is another story. A Matt Arnold type would be a great hire, if they hire him it won't be because Sandy Alderson was appealing and was able to sell Arnold on Steve Cohen after 12 months of knowing the man.
Mike Puma
@NYPost_Mets
·
1m
The Mets' top candidate for president of baseball operations at the moment appears to be Brewers general manager Matt Arnold. There has been contact, and I'm hearing the Mets may have made him an offer.
if this ends up being the hire I agree it's unlikely Sandy had any sort of meaningful direct relationship.
however if you think it's a good hire, doesn't it show that Sandy ran a good search and made a good choice (with the search ultimately unfolding a lot like last year)? I'd be surprised if Cohen knows Arnold from a hole in the wall.
This decision has always been Cohen's to make. Sandy generates the list and it's clear Cohen values his input, but this is Cohen's franchise and the decision of who to run it was always going to require an investment only he can green light (whether it was equity for Theo/Beane or a big check to lure one of these young guys away from their current situation, Stearns included).
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you believe reports, Sandy was not involved in any of the previous interviews so while I don't want to go back and forth on this topic, it feels like Sandy was far less involved in the search than was being reported. He (for instance) didn't meet with Scott Harris). Cohen did, directly.
This decision has always been Cohen's to make. Sandy generates the list and it's clear Cohen values his input, but this is Cohen's franchise and the decision of who to run it was always going to require an investment only he can green light (whether it was equity for Theo/Beane or a big check to lure one of these young guys away from their current situation, Stearns included).
Genuinely curious, where is the evidence that Sandy "generated the list"? I haven't ready anything suggesting how the Mets were coming up with candidates.
unless i'm forgetting something there was no Sandy connection to Porter (or Scott) either.
Sandy has never been the right guy for Cohen to bring back for just 1 reason. He has been a successful executive in MLB for 3 decades, including here, for a variety of reasons. Relationships with some of the bigger fish was one of those reasons but just like last year when the search pivoted to younger candidates there were still positives to his presence even if he didn't have a direction prior relationship.
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In comment 15430199 DanMetroMan said:
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you believe reports, Sandy was not involved in any of the previous interviews so while I don't want to go back and forth on this topic, it feels like Sandy was far less involved in the search than was being reported. He (for instance) didn't meet with Scott Harris). Cohen did, directly.
This decision has always been Cohen's to make. Sandy generates the list and it's clear Cohen values his input, but this is Cohen's franchise and the decision of who to run it was always going to require an investment only he can green light (whether it was equity for Theo/Beane or a big check to lure one of these young guys away from their current situation, Stearns included).
Genuinely curious, where is the evidence that Sandy "generated the list"? I haven't ready anything suggesting how the Mets were coming up with candidates.
Who do you think is running the search if not him? Scott is on leave. Levin and Tanous are supposedly candidates. Who do you think is the point person formulating the list and presenting it to Cohen? The head of HR?
Who do you think made the decision on Rojas?
whoever the new hire is, who do you think is going to be the person to intro him and answer questions about why they chose him to the media?
I'd imagine it will be the same person who has been fielding questions on the topic for the last month and giving public comments on behalf of the franchise?
"Well, so the practical answer to that question is that a new person coming in isn’t going to want to have to deal with all those type of infrastructure issues immediately," Alderson said. "They’re going to be happy to have a functioning group of capable people who will be able to move the team during those weeks and months that they become more familiar with the operation, more familiar with the individual abilities of the front-office employees or other within the organization."
During a different answer, Alderson said "anybody's tenure with the Mets will be subject to the decision of a new head of baseball operations." It sounds as if Alderson would like to have some structure in place for the big hire, even on an interim basis. Then the new hire can evaluate the situation and make changes if necessary.
Alderson never signed on to lead baseball operations, so he said he'll be happy to turn it over to the upcoming hire. After that person takes over, Alderson said he'll be "present and interested in the baseball side, but my involvement will depend on how much this new head of baseball operations wants from me."
this is truly one of the more bizarre things to question.
Key takeaways as Sandy Alderson talks Mets president search, Luis Rojas' future and more - ( New Window )
he has as much experience in baseball as any executive in the sport.
for a top executive he has had very little ego and been very grounded the entire decade he's been involved with the mets - to the point that he acknowledged he may not have earned the right to be GM anymore in 2018 just a few years off the playoff runs. So I believe his countless comments in the last year that he isn't looking to remain overly involved.
he has a reputation of being able to work with and hiring other talented individuals (which he did here with Depo, JP, Tannous, Tramuta, and seemed to be on track with porter/scott).
and unlike just about anyone else Cohen could have hired Sandy had almost a decade of recent experience here with this organization. He knew all the people here inside and out.
None of that has anything to do with his prior relationship specifically with Beane or Theo (I don't believe they spoke to either last year). But yes the relationships he has from being a respected guy in MLB for 30+ years are a value too.
Zaidi from Oakland was considered a GENIUS
Byrnes an ex-GM brought in SD
AA formerly the Blue Jays GM
Gomes was with Friedman in TB (who hired him with the Dodgers)
Kingston was brought over from Seattle where he'd already received GM buzz
Ismael Cruz was actually head of international scouting for the Mets when he left for Toronto and finally LAD
Turnaround doesn't happen in a day but it very much involves bringing in a bunch of talented FO from other places and not a FO built of long time Mets employees.
he has as much experience in baseball as any executive in the sport.
for a top executive he has had very little ego and been very grounded the entire decade he's been involved with the mets - to the point that he acknowledged he may not have earned the right to be GM anymore in 2018 just a few years off the playoff runs. So I believe his countless comments in the last year that he isn't looking to remain overly involved.
he has a reputation of being able to work with and hiring other talented individuals (which he did here with Depo, JP, Tannous, Tramuta, and seemed to be on track with porter/scott).
and unlike just about anyone else Cohen could have hired Sandy had almost a decade of recent experience here with this organization. He knew all the people here inside and out.
None of that has anything to do with his prior relationship specifically with Beane or Theo (I don't believe they spoke to either last year). But yes the relationships he has from being a respected guy in MLB for 30+ years are a value too.
Theo told all teams he wasn't interested in speaking about MLB jobs last year, Beane was never an "option" he was working on that SPAC that fell apart but he was either OUT of baseball or remaining with Oakland.
Zaidi from Oakland was considered a GENIUS
Byrnes an ex-GM brought in SD
AA formerly the Blue Jays GM
Gomes was with Friedman in TB (who hired him with the Dodgers)
Kingston was brought over from Seattle where he'd already received GM buzz
Ismael Cruz was actually head of international scouting for the Mets when he left for Toronto and finally LAD
Turnaround doesn't happen in a day but it very much involves bringing in a bunch of talented FO from other places and not a FO built of long time Mets employees.
Hires under Cohen:
Jared Porter from ARI/CHC/BOS.
Zack Scott from BOS.
Ben Zauzemer from the LAD.
it seems like a lock the new hires will be from the outside and with full autonomy to add others from the outside.
prior to Cohen I believe Sandy brought in all of Depo/Jp/Tramuta/Tannous from the outside.
this idea that Cohen isn't open to hiring from other clubs is bizarre when he's so far been blocked by other clubs from hiring people more than anyone except maybe Pat Shurmur.
The general sentiment was yes. I believe the Mets said he had been a candidate for GM along with Porter, and then based on their relationship Porter was able to convince him to come over. It seemed like the plan was to relatively quickly promote Porter to PBO and Scott to GM assuming things were going well...which turned out to be a very bad assumption very quickly.
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Dodgers model did not include "building from within" with a bunch of long time Dodger employees. Friedman went out and poached the best of the best.
Zaidi from Oakland was considered a GENIUS
Byrnes an ex-GM brought in SD
AA formerly the Blue Jays GM
Gomes was with Friedman in TB (who hired him with the Dodgers)
Kingston was brought over from Seattle where he'd already received GM buzz
Ismael Cruz was actually head of international scouting for the Mets when he left for Toronto and finally LAD
Turnaround doesn't happen in a day but it very much involves bringing in a bunch of talented FO from other places and not a FO built of long time Mets employees.
Hires under Cohen:
Jared Porter from ARI/CHC/BOS.
Zack Scott from BOS.
Ben Zauzemer from the LAD.
it seems like a lock the new hires will be from the outside and with full autonomy to add others from the outside.
prior to Cohen I believe Sandy brought in all of Depo/Jp/Tramuta/Tannous from the outside.
this idea that Cohen isn't open to hiring from other clubs is bizarre when he's so far been blocked by other clubs from hiring people more than anyone except maybe Pat Shurmur.
One analytics hire for a team that had 3 (vs 20ish for the Yankees) given all of the talk isn’t exactly impressive. Also who exactly were they going to hire internally as their GM if they didn’t hire a Porter? They didn’t even have reasonable candidates. Who said anything about open to hiring them? They talked up following the Dodgers model but they haven’t really done much (yet) to follow this. Have you read/heard about an influx of scouting hires? Or analytics hires? These presumably were things that could have been done with or without Porter.
when porter left and Scott had to step into a bigger job I think that understandably had to get pushed to a back burner.
when porter left and Scott had to step into a bigger job I think that understandably had to get pushed to a back burner.
Scott’s forte was analytics. Whether he was given the ability to make these hires and/or was unable to do so because of Porter being fired I have no clue. Seems like only something part of the FO would be able to answer
“The reason we’re where we are there,” the official said, “is because of what they’ve done up there,” pointing to the office that houses the club’s department of analytics.
Over the previous four years, Scott had remade that department, turning an increased investment from ownership, increased autonomy from the front office and increased interest from the dugout into a baseball behemoth. Given the chance to build his own team of analysts as the vice president of research and development under Dave Dombrowski in 2015, Scott embraced every part of the challenge.
“That was really the first time I felt like I was put in a leadership position,” Scott said. “I loved it. I thought that managing people would be a strength of mine, and then I actually had a chance to show it.”
I can't find the exact quotes but from the interviews when both were hired I remember them saying the intent with Porter/Scott was that Scott was going to get to rebuild the analytics wing just like he did in Boston while Porter ran the overall front office. Remember Scott's background was Math/Science/Statistics.
Zack Scott took over the Mets’ front office in a time of turmoil. Who is he as a baseball executive? - ( New Window )