Sandy Alderson has officially transitioned from Mets team president to an advisory role, owner Steve Cohen announced this morning (submitted by Tim Healey of Newsday). It is the culmination of a trial first announced last September.
Alderson, New York general manager from 2010 to 2018, returned to the organization as team president after Cohen bought the franchise from the Wilpon family at the end of the 2020 campaign. Alderson and the club agreed he would only be in the role for a relatively short time and the sides agreed last autumn to move the veteran manager to an advisory role around the time his original two-year contract expired.
Last fall, the organization indicated that Alderson would remain the team president until the Mets agreed on his replacement. They’ve been interviewing for the role for a while but still haven’t filled the position. Cohen suggested this morning they could now leave it blank for the entire 2023 campaign, although he didn’t rule out the possibility of a hiring. Up until last September, most of the candidates under consideration came from the business world rather than a baseball career — with no interest from the club in reducing General Manager Billy Eppler’s responsibility for day-to-day baseball operations.
Alderson, 75, has worked in baseball operations or the league office for nearly four decades. He previously served in the Oakland and San Diego front offices. Alderson remains with the Mets, although he’s believed to have given up some of the responsibilities he’s taken on in recent years. Perhaps not coincidentally, Cohen has taken a more active role at the club. The owner told Healey and other reporters that he now attends weekly meetings with his employees.