The Mets Have Their Man: Sandy Alderson Reportedly Next GM

ESPN.com, citing an unnamed source, is reporting that the New York Mets have chosen Sandy Alderson as their next General Manger and the announcement could come as soon as this Friday, between Games 2 and 3 of the World Series.

Alderson served as the General Manager of the Oakland Athletics from 1983 to 1997, leading them to three straight World Series appearances and winning it in 1989. After working with baseball commissioner Bud Selig to expand the game internationally, Alderson went on to become the chief executive officer of the San Diego Padres until he resigned in March 2009.

From the start of the interview process, which included former Red Sox assistant GM Allard Baird, Toronto Blue Jays special assistant Dana Brown, Chicago White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn and Los Angeles Dodgers assistant GM Logan White, Alderson was considered by many to be the leading candidate.

In the end, the Mets narrowed their selection to two possible candidates, Alderson, and former Arizona Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes. Byrnes met with the Mets' ownership on Monday and Alderson on Tuesday.

Alderson graduated from Dartmouth College in 1969 and Harvard Law School in 1976. He served four years in the United States Marine Corps as an infantry officer, including a tour in Vietnam.

After relieving Omar Minaya of his duties as GM of the Mets, following another disappointing season in 2010 that saw the Mets finish fourth in the division and under .500, the Mets may have actually put themselves in a can't miss situation, as far as general managers go.

Most fans were dissatisfied, to say the least, with Minaya's performance in the front office and would've preferred a can opener by the end of it. But the Mets have found a real winner in Alderson. He has, by far, the most experience in building a championship-caliber team and should be able to give an outsider's opinion regarding how to get the Mets back on track.

There is a lot of work yet to do and the Mets still don't have a team manager, but with the signing of Alderson, the Mets may have finally begun the process the right way.

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