NEWSLETTER
Earlier this summer, as Sandy Alderson was stepping down from the GM position with the Mets, it was unsurprising to see one speculative report suggest that, among the many possibilities for the Mets in their front office search, they could look to the Cubs to make a hire.
Specifically, Jon Heyman wrote, “If the Mets go outside the organization to lead their front office (more on this to come), two possibilities might be GM Jed Hoyer and scouting director Jason McLeod. If the Mets were to go for Hoyer, they’d surely need to give him a president’s title, which could be a complication from the Mets’ standpoint.”
Although McLeod is persistently a rumored GM target – and he’s even taken interviews – the idea that Hoyer could be poached from the Cubs to lead another organization feels a little far out there, even if it’s not impossible if he were getting a promotion in the right organization.
The Mets – with their complicated ownership situation – don’t necessarily feel like that “right organization,” but Hoyer has been mentioned again in a report out of New York.
Joel Sherman writes: “Cubs GM Jed Hoyer, Indians GM Mike Chernoff and Brewers GM David Stearns all have had buzz around them, but there are questions if any would leave good situations. Of the group, perhaps Stearns — from New York and in his early professional years a Mets front-office employee — would be most interested, but there is strong belief Brewers owner Mark Attanasio would not let him out of his contract to pursue the opportunity.”
Sherman mentions the possibility that the Mets could, instead of hiring a new GM, start by hiring a new president of baseball operations – which seems the only remotely plausible path for Hoyer to be willing to leave the Cubs right now – but Sherman does not mention that possibility in connection with Hoyer (instead it’s Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro).
I don’t really know that there’s much to make of this right now, though it’s still worth keeping in your back pocket thanks to how plugged in Sherman always is. (Fun fact: he’s the guy who first broke Epstein to the Cubs all those years ago.)
As I wrote before on this topic:
I think it’s become an unstated hope, if not quite expectation, that when Theo Epstein’s current contract is up with the Cubs after 2021, if he departs the organization, Jed Hoyer could step into his role as President. Organizational continuity is huge for long-term success, and Hoyer is clearly more than qualified to run the organization down the road if Epstein departs after 10 years (which he’s said before is about the right time, for him, to be with an organization).
So, then, the mention of Hoyer there gets me a little bit nervous, as these kinds of jobs become available only so often, and I just couldn’t blame anyone could jumping at the chance when it’s presented.
We’ve done this dance many times with McLeod before – it’s still pretty shocking to me that the right situation hasn’t already popped up for him to get a GM gig, because he’s so well-thought-of – and all we can do is hope he has whatever opportunities he deserves, and wish him best whatever happens. And if he stays with the Cubs (perhaps ascending to GM along with Hoyer’s own ascension in a few years? I have no idea about any actual plans on that front), then we’ll all be thrilled about it.
Ultimately, we’ll just have to keep an eye on this if and when the Mets start reaching outside the organization for interviews.
