New General Manager Thread

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Ah! That's right.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Fman99 wrote: Rotoworld (via Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse, whomever that is) reporting that Alderson as GM is a done deal, even before the interviews are done, FWIW.

Ed Price is THE SOURCE. Don't sell the guy short. He's the Crazy Eddie of internet pseudojournalism. The lengths he'll go to get the scoop are INSANE!

[metirish]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Joel Sherman makes the case for Sandy Alderson http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/mets_must_hire_alderson_as_gm_StpRnEyR6lULxiMChSMqSK This sounds too good to be true. Sherman is usually anti-Met. This must be part of a plot to finally destroy the Mets, Alderson really being on the payroll of the Yankees. Later I generally distrust all columns with headlines beginning with METS MUST... but Sherman makes a good case for the circumstances favoring an Alderson hire. I also think Sherman is probably the best sports columnist left in NY, and not a pro-MFY hack.

Agree on Sherman...

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

This year, Sherman's been generally more on point and more reasonable in his assertions-- and he does make a lot of 'em-- than any of the Mets beat writers. In my mind, it's Vaccaro and him at the top, then Rubin (maybe), then the others.

Also, you can trust Ed Price on this; he's been living inside Sandy Alderson's shorts for almost a month now.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm really starting to wonder if, as speculated above, Alderson will lead to LaRussa.

As often as I've said I want the Mets to have a smart manager (which they haven't had in eight years!), and I do think LaRussa might actually be smart (although the way he was outmanaged by Jerry Manuel in that 20-inning game raises doubts), I can't get enthusiastic about Tony as Mets manager.

[metirish]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm really starting to wonder if, as speculated above, Alderson will lead to LaRussa. As often as I've said I want the Mets to have a smart manager (which they haven't had in eight years!), and I do think LaRussa might actually be smart (although the way he was outmanaged by Jerry Manuel in that 20-inning game raises doubts), I can't get enthusiastic about Tony as Mets manager.

The reason I keep hearing that LaRussa woould not come to the Mets is that Pujols is resigned for 2011.

[HahnSolo]

While I do agree that a guy like Alderson can be the baseball voice of the organization, and the kind of guy who would command a certain degree of respect from the Wilpons, I can't say I'm doing cartwheels. His best As teams were more than 20 years ago, and they were tainted by both the steroid scandal (looking the other way, Sandy?) and underachieved mightily in two of their three world series. So yeah, he may be the best guy available, but I'd hardly call him a can't-miss.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The best guy available is likely somebody who none of us have ever heard of.

[Frayed Knot]

HahnSolo wrote: While I do agree that a guy like Alderson can be the baseball voice of the organization, and the kind of guy who would command a certain degree of respect from the Wilpons, I can't say I'm doing cartwheels. His best As teams were more than 20 years ago, and they were tainted by both the steroid scandal (looking the other way, Sandy?) and underachieved mightily in two of their three world series. So yeah, he may be the best guy available, but I'd hardly call him a can't-miss.

You want your GM to assemble the talent to get you the strongest team possible and into the playoffs.
What they do once they get there is pretty much out of his hands.

[Centerfield]

I don't pretend to know anything about these candidates, but from what I'm reading, Alderson sounds like a smart guy. This is good. I think they should hire a smart guy.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

AND he's got gravitas*.

*"Gravitas" = "enough rings around the tree to have Social Security recipients call him 'sir.'"

[metirish]

Baird was interviewed today, Hahn tomorrow.Gillick ruled himself out...

[Valadius]

I really don't see the point in interviewing a miserable failure like Allard Baird when there are so many other choices out there.

[metirish]

I guess we need to take the "failure" that is Baird in the context of trying to do that job in miserable Kanas, did he draft the big name players that he traded?

From what I am reading about him he is highly thought of in the game, heads up scouting for the Red Sox, and they are no mugs.

[Valadius]

I just went over the Royals' drafts from Baird's tenure. Baird took over in June of 2000, after the draft. Going over the drafts from 2001-2005, here are all the players the Royals drafted that have gone on to do anything of note in the majors:

2001 Draft
Taylor Tankersley

2002 Draft
Zack Greinke

2003 Draft
Mike Aviles

2004 Draft
Billy Butler
J.P. Howell

2005 Draft
Alex Gordon

That's it. That's all he has to show for five years' worth of drafts. Not a very encouraging record.

[metsmarathon]

could any of that record be related to an inability or unwillingness to sign players who would demand exorbitant signing bonuses or the like?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Valadius wrote: I just went over the Royals' drafts from Baird's tenure. Baird took over in June of 2000, after the draft. Going over the drafts from 2001-2005, here are all the players the Royals drafted that have gone on to do anything of note in the majors: 2001 Draft Taylor Tankersley 2002 Draft Zack Greinke 2003 Draft Mike Aviles 2004 Draft Billy Butler J.P. Howell 2005 Draft Alex Gordon That's it. That's all he has to show for five years' worth of drafts. Not a very encouraging record.

There's some others. From 2001, there's Angel Sanchez. From 2002, there's Donnie Murphy (who tore the cover off the ball in part-time work for Florida this year). Others are still simmering or on the options shuttle.

My main concern is that he turned his players over to Tony Muser, a pretty Jerry-riffic manager from my perspective.

[metirish]

Valadius wrote: I just went over the Royals' drafts from Baird's tenure. Baird took over in June of 2000, after the draft. Going over the drafts from 2001-2005, here are all the players the Royals drafted that have gone on to do anything of note in the majors: 2001 Draft Taylor Tankersley 2002 Draft Zack Greinke 2003 Draft Mike Aviles 2004 Draft Billy Butler J.P. Howell 2005 Draft Alex Gordon That's it. That's all he has to show for five years' worth of drafts. Not a very encouraging record.

Out of six players you get a Zack Greinke and Alex Gordon , Howell was flipped for Joey Garthright who was granted free agency. Billy Butler still only 24 has shown some pop...



http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gordoal01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl/player_search.cgi?search=Greinke


http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/butlebi03.shtml


I'd take that I think

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

m

could any of that record be related to an inability or unwillingness to sign players who would demand exorbitant signing bonuses or the like?

See: Hochevar, Luke. (A pick/holdout from the previous year, selected over higher-rated Longoria, Morrow, Kershaw, Lincecum, Scherzer, Travis Snyder... and selected due primarily to signing concerns/his being pushed by Boras, who also repped Longoria and several others in the draft.)

[metirish]

Tracksuit has this
Mets eye Dodgers exec Logan White as scout, possible pair with Sandy Alderson as Minaya replacement

The Mets have long had an eye on Los Angeles Dodgers assistant GM Logan White, but not to replace ousted general manager Omar Minaya. According to major league sources, the team is looking at White as a possible scouting hire to work with the team's next GM. An ESPNLosAngeles.com report said that White would interview with the Mets Friday for the GM position. Mets officials would not confirm Tuesday morning that they planned to meet with White, but other league sources maintained that while the team is interested in White, the Mets don't view him as a GM candidate. White has been the director of amateur scouting with the Dodgers since 2002, and could fit nicely in a Mets front office run by Sandy Alderson, a strong candidate to be named GM. Alderson has experience as GM of the Oakland A�s and CEO of the San Diego Padres, but his background is not originally in scouting. He will meet with the Mets Thursday or Friday, the same basic time frame that White is expected to interview. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2010/10/12/2010-10-12_mets_eye_dodgers_exec_logan_white_as_scout_possible_pair_with_sandy_alderson_as_.html?r=sports#ixzz129vBaqFV

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Tracksuit with the scoop.

White is credited with unearthing many of the young Dodgers players (Kemp, Ethier, Kershaw, Billingsley, etc).

[Guest Edgy DC]

And while that has been a strong, impressive crop for the Dodgers, it seems unusually short (for them) on Latin American talent.

[Frayed Knot]

m could any of that record be related to an inability or unwillingness to sign players who would demand exorbitant signing bonuses or the like? See: Hochevar, Luke. (A pick/holdout from the previous year, selected over higher-rated Longoria, Morrow, Kershaw, Lincecum, Scherzer, Travis Snyder... and selected due primarily to signing concerns/his being pushed by Boras, who also repped Longoria and several others in the draft.)

Yeah, Hochevar was drafted 40th by the Dodgers the year before but didn't sign. He played that year in independent ball and then re-entered the draft where the Royals drafted him 1st, getting him more money than he had been offered earlier but probably less than a "real" #1 could command.

Other than him I don't think their 1st round picks have been "reaches" for guys who didn't deserve to be there. With real high picks in most years they had mostly top-10 picks but some just haven't worked out. Maybe the more disturbing trend is that those years yielded almost nothing in later rounds.
The more recent Drayton Moore drafts have KC's system on the verge of producing a lot of good stuff according to those in the know.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

True. That said, the talent that he's found-- regardless of source-- has developed. I'll take ripe Antarctican talent, s'long as it's good and efficiently wrangled.

[Valadius]

Hahn was up today.

The New York Mets have interviewed Chicago White Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn in their search to hire a GM. Hahn spent several hours Tuesday at Citi Field talking to chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, assistant general manager John Ricco and other team executives. Former Arizona general manager Josh Byrnes will meet with the Mets on Wednesday and longtime baseball executive Sandy Alderson will speak with the team later this week. The Mets say they also got permission from the Los Angeles Dodgers to talk to scouting director Logan White in the search to replace Omar Minaya. The Mets interviewed former Kansas City GM Allard Baird on Monday.

[Guest Edgy DC]

"And what would you say your favorite breakfast cereal is?"

"Mr. Wilpon, I believe we discussed this already, and I said Cap'n Crunch."

"And if there was only one box of Cap'n Crunch, and you knew somebody else liked Cap'n Crunch...? What then?"

[Benjamin Grimm]

The latest speculation (as seen in today's Daily News and elsewhere) is that Logan White might make a lateral move from the Dodgers to the Mets and would work under Sandy Alderson.

[metirish]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: The latest speculation (as seen in today's Daily News and elsewhere) is that Logan White might make a lateral move from the Dodgers to the Mets and would work under Sandy Alderson.

It would be interesting alright , word is that he has agreed to a new deal with the Dodgers but has an out.....with the McCourts so dysfunctional he would relish the Wilpon's.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It really seems to me that the Mets could have had a new GM in place the day after the season ended.

Can you tell I'm a little nervous about the Mets being the last team into the manager market? Because I am.

[TransMonk]

Edgy DC wrote: ...I'm a little nervous about the Mets being the last team into the manager market...

Ding, ding. Me too.