Even before the Mets’ disappointing 2021 season drew to a close on Sunday, the rumor mill surrounding what is expected to be a busy offseason began ramping up.
Amongst the organization’s first to-dos will be finding a president of baseball operations (PBO) to perform under team president Sandy Alderson.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Mets will soon reach out to former Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs general manager, Theo Epstein, while also seeking permission to speak with Oakland Athletics president Billy Beane and Milwaukee Brewers president David Stearns.
The initial plan upon Steve Cohen’s arrival as Mets owner last year was to find a PBO — but the organization was unable to find the right person, which heaped further responsibility on Alderson’s shoulders.
Alderson also adopted the role of general manager after the Mets’ two hires this year — Jared Porter and Zack Scott — sabotaged their chances of staying on in Queens due to off-field issues.
Epstein has been linked with the Mets since Cohen’s arrival, though he opted to take a job with Major League Baseball in 2021. The now-43-year-old is known as being a franchise fixer; building World Series winners with the Red Sox and Cubs to break an 86-year and 108-year championship drought respectively.
Beane revolutionized the term “Moneyball” with the Athletics and has been with the club for two decades — constantly keeping his team in contending conversations despite having one of the lower payrolls in the majors.
He has links to the Mets, though, having been drafted as a highly-touted prospect in 1980 before appearing in 13 games between 1984-1985. Beane also has a long history with Alderson, who is seen as a mentor to the executive.
Stearns has helped the Brewers become a perennial contender in the NL Central but is seen as the most unlikely of the three options for the Mets.
