The New York Mets are in the market for a new general manager, and the first week of their search has yielded a number of notable developments.
Let's break down the most significant of those for posterity's sake.
Levine turns down interview
The Minnesota Twins, like the Mets, are coming off a disappointing season. Yet that didn't stop the Mets from inquiring about Twins GM Thad Levine's availability.
Levine, for his part, declined to interview:
According to a source, the Mets reached out to the Twins for permission to speak with Thad Levine about their GM job, but Levine declined, choosing to stay with Minnesota.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 5, 2018
Keep in mind that Levine is not the highest-ranking baseball operations official in Minnesota -- that honor belongs to chief baseball officer Derek Falvey. Nonetheless, he seems to prefer where he is to where he could be for reasons that have not been stated. One can guess that ownership groups probably came into play, with the Twins job offering fewer headaches.
Cherington out, too
As with Levine, Toronto Blue Jays exec Ben Cherington withdrew from the process, too:
Former #RedSox GM Ben Cherington withdrew from consideration for #Mets’ and #SFGiants’ openings, but remains interested in becoming a GM again in right situation. Wants to build an organization from ground up. Happy in current role as VP of baseball operations with #BlueJays.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 4, 2018
Cherington won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox, making him an attractive name for any team seeking a new point guard. Cherington has also passed on interviewing with the San Francisco Giants, however, suggesting he's going to be picky about his return to the GM gig.
Watson, others will interview
So, if Levine and Cherington are out, who's in? There are certain to be more names than those reported interviewing for the gig, but the New York Post's Mike Puma offered four names:
Doug Melvin -- former GM of the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers. Possessor of an all-world mustache.
Gary Larocque -- longtime executive with the St. Louis Cardinals who specializes in scouting and player development.
De Jon Watson -- a special assistant with the Washington Nationals who used to be a hot GM candidate during his time running player development with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kim Ng -- another former Dodgers executive who has more recently worked for the league offices. Ng would be the first woman hired as GM in MLB history.
Again, more names are likely to surface in the coming weeks. But the previous reports about the Mets wanting an old-school GM seem true -- even if it's true in part because the newer model of GM refuses to interview with the club.
