Mets president Sandy Alderson spoke with the media in his first lone news conference since returning to the franchise. Here are the four takeaways from Alderson’s Zoom conference with reporters on Monday, in addition to his touching on the GM search and Luis Rojas.
1. The Mets need multiple players
“I don’t think we’re a player away. I think we need more than that. Do we have a good foundation? Yes. I think we have an excellent foundation,” said Alderson. “But I think our needs are multiple at this point, and we’re more than a player away. Who that player is, what position that player plays, I think we got some flexibility there in terms of how we address… everything, necessarily, in the same way. We want to check all the boxes, but at the same time, we’re gonna be focused on where we can best improve.”
And not just in the starting lineup, Alderson says. The new president of the club is also focusing on the team’s depth.
“We need to address not only some positions not only on the field itself but also the depth that we have. We’re signing minor-league free agents, we signed somebody to a major-league contract that might have been a little out of the ordinary. But I think those kinds of additions are addressing our depth issue. So we got a lot of things to do, but in terms of our foundation, I think we got a solid foundation, and hopefully we have the ability to get better in a lot of different positions.”
2. Alderson is focusing on the GM search
Alderson confirmed that Luis Rojas will return as the manager for next season, and said that he is not searching for a president of baseball operations – just a general manager.
With that said, Alderson said that he’ll be more involved in baseball operations.
The Mets have interviewed six candidates, according to Alderson, and they want to name a GM by late November or early December. Mets owner Steve Cohen will be involved in the final decision after a second round of interviews.
“I think the type of person that I’m looking for in that role is the type of person I’m looking for in any leadership position. Somebody who has some modicum of experience in this particular area – baseball,” said Alderson. “But also, someone who has the ability to provide someone inspirational… leadership. And that’s about communication, it’s about empathy, it’s about understanding how organizations function… I’m looking for somebody who can work within a team. And that’s what we’re trying to create, and not just on the baseball side, but also on the business side.”
Alderson also added that it “would be ideal” for the general manager to eventually become to president of baseball operations.
3. Tim Tebow will be playing baseball in 2021
Alderson said he spoke to the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday about playing next season.
“He’s anxious to come back. I told him, ‘look, why would you want to end your quest based on a COVD-related reason? You didn’t get a chance to perform this year.’ He was hurt a little bit in the previous year,” said Alderson. “I think Tim is committed to coming back, and I think we’re committed to giving him an opportunity to do that, and we’ll see where it goes. … I didn’t want him to go out based on some COVID-related interruption in his attempt to play.”
Alderson saids that both the Mets and MLB have benefitted from Tebow’s pursuit to a professional baseball career.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].