J.P. Ricciardi and the Mets part ways

Today, the Mets announced that Special Assistant to the General Manager J.P. Ricciardi will be leaving the front office effective immediately—a mutual decision between the two parties. Ricciardi served as the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001 until 2009 and joined the Mets organization in 2010.

“I want to express my gratitude to Fred and Jeff for giving me the opportunity to spend the last eight years in New York,” Ricciardi said in a statement. He also gave thanks to Sandy Alderson, calling him “a great mentor and an even better friend.”

Ricciardi was one of the members of the front office, along with John Ricco and Omar Minaya, who was asked to share the duties of general manager after Sandy Alderson stepped down last season. “J.P. was instrumental in identifying and bringing talent to the Mets that helped develop our growth throughout the entire system and stepped up to play an even larger role when we needed him over the time Sandy had to step away,” said Mets CEO Jeff Wilpon in a press release.

With the Mets’ going in a different direction with new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen at the helm, Ricciardi is now free to pursue other opportunities, with the Oakland Athletics as a rumored landing spot. While Omar Minaya is set to become a top adviser to Van Wagenen in 2019, the team remains tight-lipped regarding the future of John Ricco, whose future with the team is still unclear. Of the three men who assumed GM responsibilities in Alderson’s absence last season, it was Ricco who served as the face of the front office, taking on most of the media duties.