New York Mets still cannot get anyone for front office

The New York Mets are certainly trying to find someone to run their front office. After having a small initial wishlist that was almost immediately eliminated, the Mets began casting a wider net. However, they keep being turned down, as other potential candidates are not interested in leaving their current positions to head to New York.

The Mets made their pitch to Giants’ general manager Scott Harris, who declined to be considered as a candidate. In this case, it was not a slight against the Mets; he is simply a native of the Bay Area and wanted to remain close to home.

Harris declining to be interviewed follows another failed pursuit of another candidate. Former major league reliever Brandon Gomes, now the assistant GM with the Dodgers, also removed himself from consideration. In his case, he is expected to receive a promotion with the Dodgers, making his reluctance to leave all the more understandable.

New York Mets cannot generate interest in front office spot

This puts the Mets in a difficult situation. Their high profile pursuit of various executives will make it clear that whoever they target now was not their first, or even second or third, choice. It may not make a difference for someone looking to run a team and prove themselves, but that could be in the back of the minds of some candidates.

Likewise, the Mets need to find someone soon. With free agency set to begin soon, and the possibility of a lockout, this will be a difficult offseason to navigate. Having someone in that spot, either as a general manager or as the head of baseball operations, will make a major difference.

The Mets already went through a similar situation last offseason. Steve Cohen had axed the entire front office when he took over as majority owner, with the hunt for a new general manager extending further into the offseason than he may have liked. It is possible that search cost the Mets several free agent targets as they did not have someone in charge early enough.

Clearly, the Mets do not want a repeat of that scenario. However, as they are having difficulty attracting anyone to their front office, the struggles from the 2020-21 offseason could repeat themselves once again. Unless they suddenly find an answer, history may repeat itself.

The New York Mets are having trouble finding candidates interested in their front office opening. It is starting to look a lot like last year.