Some welcome news out of Flushing as Jon Heyman is reporting that the Mets have decided to hire Sandy Alderson as General Manager. The beat writers had been speculating that former Oakland A's GM Alderson was the overwhelming favorite so this comes as no surprise. No complaints here -- Alderson has an impressive resumé and track record of success. And as an added bonus, he's unlikely to hire Wally Backman as manager, according to Heyman.
The hiring may be announced on Friday, the first World Series off-day. Much more to come, I'm sure.
Update: Andy Martino of the Daily News reports that Rangers GM Jon Daniels had interest in the job and even requested the Mets hold off until the World Series ended to make a decision. His series of tweets:
Source confirms Alderson hiring. Source also says Jon Daniels asked Mets to wait until end of World Series, they said no.
And:
Daniels request came through back channels, I'm told. They simply wanted to hire Alderson.
Back channels? Finally:
Don't think we can blame them for rushing. Took their sweet time, actually. Wanted Alderson more than Daniels.
This didn't pass the smell test and Jon Heyman entered with some info of his own:
daniels never asked the mets to wait, as 1 report claimed. he is in the world series. anyone really think hes calling the mets about a job?
We may never determine the veracity of these rumors but if I had to bet, my money is on Heyman. And I'm not even sure Daniels would be a superior hire to Alderson. As the Rangers advanced further into the playoffs, Daniels seemed to achieve demigod status among much of the fanbase. I like his pedigree and would have approved of his hiring as GM, but the portrayal by some that he is head-and-shoulders above any other candidate is off the mark.