Sandy Alderson Will Step Down As Mets President Once Team Finds Replacement
Sandy Alderson's tenure as Mets president is coming to an end.
It's not exactly clear when that will happen, but the team announced Thursday that the 74-year-old will step down from his position once a search for his successor is completed. Alderson will then transition to a new role serving as a special advisor to team owners Steve and Alex Cohen. Alderson will also assist New York's senior leadership team.
This news does not mean the Mets are unhappy with the job Alderson has done since rejoining the organization in 2020. Rather, the plan was always for him to spend just a few years in the team president role upon returning to the club. Alderson's contract expires in December.
“When I asked Sandy to come back to the team, it was for a defined period of time and with a specific mandate – revive our culture and this iconic franchise for our fans, partners and employees,” Steve Cohen said in a statement. “Sandy has done those very things and more and we have begun a search for his successor. When we find that person, I have asked Sandy to continue in a new role as special advisor to me and the senior leadership team.”
Added Alderson: “For me personally and for the organization, it’s the right time for this transition. We are having a successful season, we have made several key additions to our senior leadership team and we have built a strong and forward-thinking culture. When the time comes, I am looking forward to continuing to support Steve, Alex and the organization in a new role.”
Alderson's role, team president, is not the same job as president of baseball operations, though front office executives have fulfilled both duties before. SNY's Andy Martino reported that the Mets have mostly spoken to candidates with business backgrounds so far.
Martino added that no hire is imminent, Alderson's health is not a factor in the timing of the news, and that he could stay on as team president past the expiration of his contract.
Alderson became the Mets' general manager in 2010. He stepped down in 2018 because of a recurrence of cancer. Steve Cohen brought Alderson back to the franchise when he bought the club in 2020.
