Mets won’t hire president of baseball operations, will retain Luis Rojas as manager

In a press conference this afternoon, Mets team president Sandy Alderson indicated that the team will not hire a president of baseball operations, is in the process of hiring a general manager, and has informed Luis Rojas that he will return as the team’s manager for the 2021 season,

While the news is light on names, it does offer some insight into the direction the organization is going in the short term as it looks to build out its front office and roster for 2021. Alderson cited limited access to several candidates and extenuating circumstances affecting some others as reasons to hold off on hiring a presidents of baseball ops. Of note, when asked about Theo Epstein—who recently left the Cubs and stated a desire to take a year off to spend time with his family—Alderson said the team had not contacted him. For now, Alderson will assume a larger role in baseball operations than had been initially expected, with John Ricco working as his right hand man.

As for the general manager position, the Mets have already interviewed six candidate,s though there’s no current favorite, and a second round of interviews hasn’t begun yet. When asked about what type of GM he’d like to hire, Alderson offered only platitudes—as you’d expect—so we’re still mostly in the dark about who will be making most of the personnel decisions this offseason.

In terms of the team’s coaching staff, aside from Rojas, the status of the rest of the staff has not yet been determined. And in terms of players, Alderson indicated that the Mets have not yet discussed releasing Robinson Cano in the wake of his suspension for the 2021 season. He also indicated that an extension with Michael Conforto has not been discussed, but Alderson believes it’s an avenue that will be explored “at some point.” As for free agents, Alderson didn’t drop any hints about who the Mets might pursue, but he did indicate that he doesn’t believe the team is only one player away.