The Mets hoped to play meaningful games in October this season.
Instead they’ll be making meaningful decisions as a series of critical questions await them upon the end of another losing season on Sunday.
Before the Mets played their fifth-to-last game on Wednesday against the Marlins, team president Sandy Alderson addressed the state of the organization as it enters another critical offseason. Among the takeaways:
• After their search for a president of baseball operations came up empty last offseason — leading to hiring Jared Porter as general manager and eventually replacing him with acting GM Zack Scott — the Mets will be at it again next month.
Alderson said the Mets have not begun to reach out to potential candidates, but he was hopeful that they will fare better than last time, when they did not receive permission to even speak to some of the executives they were interested in. Alderson also said the pool of candidates — which could include the likes of Theo Epstein, the Athletics’ Billy Beane and the Brewers’ David Stearns — could be different than last year.
“I’m optimistic that we’ll end up in the right place,” Alderson said. “How exactly we get there and with who is up for grabs.
“I think the limitations that we faced last year with respect to the president of baseball operations had more to do with contractual limitations than undesirability. I don’t think that was an issue. … I don’t think there’s any reason why Steve Cohen and the Mets are really any less desirable today than they were a year ago and will be.”
• Though Alderson hopes to have a president of baseball operations hired as soon as possible, the decision on the futures of manager Luis Rojas and his coaching staff are likely to be decided before the new head of baseball is in place.
“It may be in everybody’s interest that those decisions are made in a more timely fashion,” Alderson said. “What I would hope is that those decisions are made with a new leadership potentially in mind, not trying to anticipate what they would decide, but to make sure, whether it’s in the case of players or other positions, they have as much flexibility as possible.”
• The Mets entered the season with high expectations, then spent 103 days in first place of a weak NL East before collapsing over the final months. Alderson cited injuries, underperformance, running out of starting pitching depth and not hitting well as the main factors for what he called a “disappointing” season.
“I’m big on process, but ultimately results matter,” Alderson said. “And if you don’t have good results over a period of time, then process may not survive. … So as we approach the end of the season, we have to be realistic about what the results have been.”
• Alderson has been handling GM duties since Scott was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 2 after he pleaded not guilty to driving while intoxicated. Scott’s next court date is scheduled for Oct. 7. After his legal situation is resolved, the Mets will make their own determination on his future with the organization.
“There’s been very little contact with Zack since the incident took place,” Alderson said.
• Alderson may not ultimately have a say in it, but he did not tip his hand with regard to how the Mets feel about how four key impending free agents. The organization must decide whether to make qualifying offers to Michael Conforto and Noah Syndergaard, and whether to re-sign Marcus Stroman or Javier Baez.
“We very highly value Marcus, and we’ll be looking forward to the possibility of talking to him,” Alderson said.
As for whether the Mets could realistically sign Baez, for whom they gave up prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong at the trade deadline?
“Is it possible? Yes. Is it realistic? Maybe,” Alderson said. “It’s hard for me to put odds on it.”