Sandy Alderson to step down as Mets president, search for replacement begins
Sandy Alderson of the Mets looks on before a game against the Nationals at Citi Field on May 29. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Sandy Alderson will step down as the Mets’ president as soon as the organization hires a new one, the team announced Thursday.
Owner Steve Cohen already has begun searching for Alderson’s replacement.
“For me personally and for the organization, it’s the right time for this transition,” Alderson, 74, said in a statement released by the Mets. “We are having a successful season, we have made several key additions to our senior leadership team and we have built a strong and forward-thinking culture. When the time comes, I am looking forward to continuing to support Steve, Alex [Cohen] and the organization in a new role.”
Alderson’s two-year contract is due to expire at the end of this year. He will stay on indefinitely, he said, if the Mets don’t have a new president in place by then.
Then he will move into a “special advisor” role to the Cohens and senior leadership team, according to the Mets. In baseball, that is a nebulous title that sometimes is honorary/comes with virtually no responsibility.
That Alderson is leaving as the Mets’ top non-ownership official is not surprising in the context of his return to the franchise two years ago. When Cohen brought him aboard as president while finalizing his purchase of the team — as a de facto replacement for Jeff Wilpon — Alderson said he committed “for a couple years.”
“I don't want to die with my boots on, but I think this is going to be a great couple years,” he said in November 2020.
Alderson, who was the Mets’ general manager from 2010-18, hired three GMs (including Billy Eppler) and one manager (Buck Showalter) during this tenure.
“When I asked Sandy to come back to the team, it was for a defined period of time and with a specific mandate — revive our culture and this iconic franchise for our fans, partners and employees,” Cohen said in a statement. “Sandy has done those very things and more.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
