Billy Beane 'Very Much Open' To Becoming Mets President Of Baseball Operations
Believe it or not, it appears as though longtime Oakland Athletics front office architect Billy Beane is actually considering a change this offseason.
According to SNY's John Harper, two close friends of Beane say he is very much open to the idea of becoming the Mets president of baseball operations.
As Harper went onto report, if Beane were to take on this role, he would hire a general manager beneath him to handle the day-to-day duties of the job.
Beane and Mets team president Sandy Alderson have a close relationship given their extensive history working together in the Oakland Athletics' front office. Alderson was Beane's mentor and gave him his first shot as an executive back in 1997.
After Alderson left the Mets following the 2018 season, Beane hired him back to Oakland to serve as a special advisor to the baseball operations department.
Now, this duo has a chance to reunite for a third time if Beane decides to move across the country to run the baseball side for a big market team in the northeast.
An opportunity he has previously turned down multiple times in his career when the Boston Red Sox came calling about their own president of baseball operations vacancy in 2002 and 2019.
However, Beane is 59-years-old and this will likely be his last shot to be the face of one of the most valuable franchise's in the sport. Not to mention, the Mets have the richest owner in baseball, Steve Cohen.
For the entirety of his career, Beane has been forced to operate with a tight payroll and has found success with the A's in spite of this aspect. If he comes to the Mets, money won't be an issue behind Cohen who bought the team for $2.4 billion in 2020.
Beane will also have full control of the baseball side with his old friend, Alderson taking a step back to focus more on business operations.
Although Beane's family is settled in the Bay Area, the A's sound destined to move from Oakland to Las Vegas in the near future due to disputes with the city over building a new stadium. If the A's move, the word is Beane wouldn't go with them.
Beane was also drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 MLB draft by the Mets. So, ironically, his career could come full-circle if he joins the team's front office.
As previously mentioned, Beane sounds like he wants to bring in a GM to run the day-to-day duties, which would also give him some desired freedom, similar to what he currently has in Oakland as their VP of baseball operations.
In order to speak with Beane, the Mets must be granted permission by A's owner John Fisher. However, Beane is only under contract for one more year and has done a lot for the organization, so if he wants out, Fisher might let him go.
This would also pave the way for Fisher to save money by promoting current GM David Forst to the president of baseball operations role. A move that was likely imminent in the near future regardless.
If Beane winds up being a match for the Mets, A's manager Bob Melvin could follow him to New York as these two have spent the last 11 seasons together and have made the postseason six times during this span.
The Mets have just three winning seasons in the past 13 years. Beane and Melvin have seven since 2011 despite operating with a bottom-5 payroll year in and year out. Bringing this duo in would be a great start by Cohen in his second-year as team owner.
But, the Mets would have to trade for Melvin and it is unclear what Oakland would want in return.
For now, it's at least a promising sign that Beane sounds intrigued by the Mets' vacancy, and if New York can land him, It'd be a home run hire.
Beyond Beane, the Mets have also been linked to David Stearns, Josh Byrnes and Brandon Gomes. Cohen and Theo Epstein met last week, but both deemed the position wasn't the right fit for either side.
If Beane comes in and hires a GM, it is possible that he looks to Brynes or Gomes who have both played key roles in the Los Angeles Dodgers' front office over the last several seasons.
