5 Under The Radar Candidates to Lead the New York Mets
It has been a strange year for the New York Mets. First, newly minted GM Jared Porter was fired for sending lude and abusive texts to a female reporter. Next, the team fell apart going from a 78% chance of winning the NL East on July 28th to just a 2.5% chance a month later. Their interim GM, Zach Scott, then proceeded to get arrested for a DUI. Scott was dismissed shortly after the postseason concluded.
New owner Steven Cohen and acting president Sandy Alderson are now tasked with finding a replacement to run their baseball operations department. Reports have shown that may be a difficult proposition. Many teams have declined to offer the Mets an opportunity to interview executives and many executives have declined to interview.
The latest reports suggest Sig Mejdal, currently an assistant GM of the 52–110 Orioles, may be an option for the Mets. The current crop of GM candidates generally hold high positions with winning clubs, have a strong understanding of analytics and player development, and a leadership background. Let’s see if we can identify some under the radar candidates.
Gary Denbo — VP of Player Development & Scouting — Miami Marlins
Denbo, 60, is no stranger to New York, spending over a decade in various positions with the New York Yankees. He’s sneakily brought together a young pitching staff with the Marlins while also having experience as a hitting coach and coordinator. If you want someone that can feed your Major League team with talent, this is your guy. Now the Marlins haven’t exactly won yet, and Denbo won’t be an analytical leader, but he’s definitely a name to watch.
Reed MacPhail — VP of League Economics & Operations-MLB
The MacPhail family has a rich history in baseball, and Reed has been instrumental in many of the economic efforts of the league. Reed has strong leadership skills and a firm understanding of the metrics driving player value. While Reed may be more on the path to be Rob Manfred’s replacement at commissioner, it is easy to see him making the move to lead a team. MacPhail is well connected and should be able to fill out a top-notch support staff.
James Harris — VP of Player Development — Cleveland Indians
Harris is a performance specialist, leading one of the best pitching development organizations in the Major Leagues. He’s had a strange path outside of baseball, spending time with the football team at the University of Oregon and with the Philadelphia Eagles. With so much focus to drive cost-controlled value with player development, Harris could help the Mets retool their Minor League pipeline.
Matt Koenig — Dir. of Baseball Analytics — Chicago White Sox
The White Sox have been quietly building a playoff contender and Koenig has been leading their analytical efforts for the last 8 seasons. Formerly a derivatives trader for a Chicago trading firm, he might connect with Met’s owner Steven Cohen, who created his fortune in trading. Koenig, 44, is well regarded by sources within MLB as someone that can impact a team at all levels.
Dan Kantrovitz — Dir. of Scouting-Chicago Cubs
Kantrovitz is on his third organization with the Cubs, previously with the Cardinals and Athletics. He was drafted in the 25th round out of Brown by the Cardinals as an outfielder in 2001. His specialty is scouting, but he has grown into a multi-disciplinary leader with a Master’s degree in Statistics from Harvard. The Cubs made two external hires above him this offseason so he may need to find his next opportunity elsewhere.
