The New York Mets need a new general manager after firing GM Jared Porter, not long after he was hired to be Sandy Alderson’s chief lieutenant under new owner Steve Cohen. Porter was fired shortly after acknowledging in a report by ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Jeff Passan, that he sent unsolicited sexually explicit images to a reporter in 2016 while working at the Cubs office.
Cohen acted quickly in dismissing Porter hours after his actions came to light:
Alderson said Tuesday that the Mets will not hire a replacement for Porter in the short term. But whenever the team decides to hire a new GM, the Mets can return to the details of the search they just completed before hiring Porter. Thus, the other finalists are likely to resurface as candidates. Here’s a quick look at how things can happen.
The clear leader: Zack Scott
That would make the transition more seamless. This was because Scott was a finalist for the GM position and ended up being hired as Porter’s GM assistant. This means that he has been working in the upper sector of the Mets office for a few weeks now. Likewise, according to some reports from the search process, Scott was Porter’s runner-up.
Scott, 43, spent the previous 17 years working on the front line of the Red Sox, during which time he became immersed in analysis – which is a priority skill for highly placed MLB executives today – in addition to opening his teeth . Theo Epstein for some of those years.
Again, Scott is already part of the organization, and his dossier is such that the Mets seriously considered hiring him as a GM in the first place. As he was hired in December, this means that Scott also played an important role in the Mets team’s most recent decisions – that is, more especially, switching to shortstop superstar Francisco Lindor. Given all this, it would be a surprise if he did not step up to Porter’s role as a replacement.
The other candidates
The remaining finalists reported for the GM position were Michael Hill, former president of the Marlins, and Billy Owens, A’s GM assistant.
Hill, who turns 50 in March, spent more than two decades with the Marlins, but the two sides parted ways after the 2020 season, despite Miami making the playoffs. Most recently, Hill served as president of baseball operations with the Marlins, which means that he played a higher role than any of his fellow finalists for the Mets GM position.
Owens, 49, has played roles for seven seasons in the youth ranks and has experience as a Scout. Thanks to his years with the A’s, he is also adept at mixing analysis with his scouting experience. Owens also previously worked with Alderson shortly before his return to the Mets. Without a doubt, Owens has the most solid background of any of the candidates for the GM position.
Given that the Mets still have plans to make another special addition this winter – George Springer or Trevor Bauer, for example – a quick decision seems likely.