Reese Kaplan -- Hiring Hits a Brick Wall Early On for the Mets

While many of the Mets fans and media types are clamoring for the Mets to set their own path back to relevance, the fact is a great many are suggesting that the team is aiming to become the east coast version of the perennially contending Los Angeles Dodgers.  They seem to have a good combination of a fruitful farm system and the ability to spend for top notch free agent talent when available.  On the former, there are almost too many to mention.  On the latter, they thought nothing about bringing in Mookie Betts when he was available.  Then again, sometimes you get Trevor Bauer.  

Right now Steve Cohen's team is off to a brick wall of an off-season start by finding out that neither Theo Epstein nor Billy Beane appear to be viable options for front office help.  It means that the Mets must now delve into some other applicant lists to expand their search beyond the top two or three everyone had penciled in as the likely contenders.

A great many folks are suggesting that after landing top analytics man Ben Zauzmer away from the Dodgers during the last off season.  Now they may be looking at the executive suite in Los Angeles to see who may or may not be available to help in Queens.  However, while some think grabbing two top notch brains from the Dodgers would solve all the problems, the fact is that Major League Baseball has a little-used rule prohibiting one club from taking two executives from another club during the same season.  

So that means the Mets in their pilfering approach must decide are they more enamored of veteran VP of Baseball Operation, Josh Byrnes, or the current Assistant GM, Brandon Gomes?  

First let's consider Byrnes. He's been in baseball off-the-field operations since 1994 as a student intern for the Cleveland Indians and became an assistant GM for the Colorado Rockies in 1999.  He migrated to the Red Sox in the same role and was present when they finally won a World Series.  He then moved onto the Arizona Diamondbacks as the full GM and as an Executive Vice President for five years.  Next it was the Padres in the same capacity for three years, then onto the Dodgers where he's been since 2014.  

Brandon Gomes is much less well known than the more senior Josh Byrnes.  After a major league pitching career cut short as much by injury as by lackluster results, Gomes moved quickly into front office work and as the assistant GM for the Dodgers he's still just 37 years old.  He started off as a pitching coordinator for Los Angeles and has held his current role since 2019.  

The 51 year old Byrnes would be a good hire as he's probably got 15 years worth of effort still in him.  On the other hand, the 14 year younger Gomes would be far less expensive and probably embrace the new higher level role.  The issue here is that you generally want the POBO to be involved in the hiring of the GM and bringing on the GM first kind of saddles the organization with someone who may not be to the liking nor style of the yet-to-be-hired POBO.  Also, consider that Gomes has not had the full reign in the front office yet, a problem thrice repeated with Brodie Van Wagenen, Jared Porter and Zack Scott.  The Mets probably want someone with more mileage on his resume.  

There are countless other experienced POBO candidates and GM candidates out there for the Mets to consider, but current folks under contract need permission to interview for jobs with the Mets.  They likely won't get that until after the postseason ends.  Consequently, the idea of moving at a fast pace to right the sunken Mets ship is not likely going to happen for a few more weeks until the next round of playoffs and World Series conclude. The longer they wait, the less likely they will be able to move swiftly for the next two hires.  Maybe it's time to see who's out of work right now and eligible to get hired, like scandal-ridden former Astros executive Jeff Luhnow.