Mets hire Jessica Mendoza as a baseball operations advisor

The Mets have hired former Olympian and ESPN broadcaster Jessica Mendoza as a baseball operations advisor, the team announced today. She will serve primarily in a player evaluation role, as well as in roster construction, technological advancement, and health and performance.

“Jessica’s name was in my first presentation to the Mets ownership,” said general manager Brodie Van Wagenen while speaking to the media in Port St. Lucie. “She’s a pioneer.” Mendoza has an existing relationship with the Van Wagenen family. Like Brodie Van Wagenen, she went to Stanford, where she was a First Team All-American outfielder and she is also represented by CAA, Van Wagenen’s former employer. Mendoza also serves on the Women’s Sports Foundation’s board of trustees, along with Van Wagenen’s wife, Molly.

In today’s press release, Van Wagenen said, “Jessica is incredibly well respected throughout the industry and we are excited to bring her into the organization. She is a world-class athlete and experienced television analyst with an extremely high baseball IQ. We are confident that she will help us in our efforts to win now and in the future. This hire demonstrates the continued support from ownership to invest in the intellectual capital of the New York Mets.”

In addition to her new role with the Mets, Mendoza will continue her work as a broadcaster on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. As with when the Mets hired Van Wagenen as general manager, this raises some interesting conflict of interest questions. However, there are numerous examples of broadcasters who serve in advisory roles for teams, including Mendoza’s broadcast partner on Sunday Night Baseball, Alex Rodruigez, who is an advisor for the Yankees front office.

Jessica Mendoza will join the Mets in Port St. Lucie on Friday.