The hiring of Sandy Alderson is truly a moment for Met fans to rejoice.
While this space and others have questioned the seeming slam-dunk certainty of Alderson’s ability to repeat the successful period he had in Oakland two decades ago, this is far from the point today.
Alderson’s A’s teams, as has been pointed out, while winning three pennants and a title, only had five winning years in his fifteen year tenure as A’s GM. His draft record was far from spectacular. And the A’s were among the pioneers of the steroid/PED era of baseball.
Of course, Alderson did lead the team to three consecutive pennants, a rare feat in any era, and also was a leader in the revolutionizing of baseball statistical analysis.
Despite the heavy evidence on both sides of a reasonable argument as to whether Alderson is a great choice in terms of on-field issues, other concerns are more noteworthy at this juncture.
Many quarters have long lambasted Met ownership for being too “hands-on.” Of course, had we seen more than one playoff appearance in the last decade, this feeling would be significantly mollified. However, with one of the game’s largest payrolls in the Omar Minaya era, which resulted in one postseason appearance and one playoff series win, followed by two collapses, which were in turn followed by two disastrous losing years, the thought among many—if not most—fans is that it is time for the Wilpons to step back, hire a Frank Cashen, and wait for a title.
Perhaps we have seen just that.
Regardless of what Alderson achieves, optimism must be felt at his being selected.
First off, he clearly will be far from the least expensive choice. With his record, resume, and stature in the game, he surely demanded a healthy salary.
In addition, and perhaps most importantly, Alderson is not coming here to be overseen by the owner’s son.
Had the team wanted someone who could be overruled and heavily watched, they would not have chosen Alderson.
Sandy Alderson is an ex-Marine, a Vietnam Vet, and a graduate of Dartmouth and Harvard Law School. Through his relationship with a colleague at his law firm, he became the A’s general counsel in 1981 and GM in 1983, serving for 15 seasons. When new ownership reduced payroll, Alderson helped pioneer the use of modern sabermetrics and was a key figure in modernizing baseball’s statistical analysis of players.
After leaving the A’s he worked in the office of the commissioner, and most recently was a lecturer at Cal Berkeley.
In short, an incredibly diverse and impressive resume. Not a man who is going to take orders from Jeff Wilpon, whose words and public persona generally support the idea that there is precisely one reason why he holds the position he has. Sandy Alderson is the diametric opposite of this kind of man.
The hiring of Sandy Alderson appears to finally put to rest the idea that the Wilpons will never step back and let a successful person of stature run the team independently. Surely this hiring means that the days of mysteriously wondering why a player like Oliver Perez is allowed to literally hold the team hostage are over. Surely this hiring means that an employee like Tony Bernazard will not be allowed to run amok and practically terrorize the team’s minor leaguers. Surely this hiring means that every aspect of the team’s horrifying record of training and recovery from injuries will be revamped totally. Surely this hiring means that the days of lax spring trainings and the team getting out of the gate like a horse dragging an anvil are a thing of the past.
The past four seasons’ results from a highly-paid team studded with veteran stars has bred a very understandable and stubborn streak of pessimism in Met Nation. It will take a sea change of attitude on the field and in the front office to alter this. However, the first step seems to be one which can be reasonably interpreted as the one every fan wanted to see the most—the Wilpons have hired the candidate who clearly represents independence and a break from the past.
All of the other candidates were younger and far less experienced. Maybe one of them becomes the next Cashen or the next Gillick. This is certainly what was hoped for when the team hired Omar Minaya.
Hiring Sandy Alderson can be debated in terms of his overall record with the A’s and his long time away from hands-on control of a team.
What cannot be debated is that the Wilpons made a bold and brave choice, which for the foreseeable future thankfully puts to rest the idea that they are not willing to spend and that they are not willing to relinquish control.
Here’s hoping that Alderson is able to bring tangible improvement on the field. His presence has already shown that the Wilpons are indeed willing to spend and to cede control. This is the ideal first step towards a return to contention.
11 comments
stickguy
10/27/2010-11:11pm at 11:11 pm (UTC -4)
Sandy certainly seems like a step in the right direction. But it seems that some people are setting their expectations just a tad too high. The Mets did have some smart, experienced people in the prior regime, so it isn’t like they had no chance of getting more talent in.
And yes, he should improve the organizational structure. And that absolutely should help them get the maximum use out of the players they have. But, I just wonder how fast Alderson can change the talent level and translate it into wins?
And mostly, will it be fast enough to keep the people happy?
rustyjr
10/28/2010-5:19am at 5:19 am (UTC -4)
I agree stick – btw kong – spot on with you analysis !!
metsfan4decades
10/28/2010-7:50am at 7:50 am (UTC -4)
I was one who started to believe Omar must go right around Aug. Not so much because I thought he was incompetent or the worst GM, or even solely responsible for what we’ve been witnessing since end of 2006.
I wanted Omar replaced because with him at the helm, the crediibility and perception of LOL franchise was likely to continue – and probably get worse. He had his chance and that momentum that kept building after the ’07 collapse was out of control. To me, the only way to stop it was to replace him and Jerry.
I think the Wilpons realized it to and that was part of the reason they went with the more seasoned experienced Alderson. I’d say on that note, they accomplished that goal. The praise up and down those in the business has been unanimous. Outside of some of the fans, everyone believes hiring Sandy brought some level of immediate credibility.
Now….going forward, it remains to be seen if he can build a contending team sooner rather than later.
CaseStreet
10/28/2010-10:01am at 10:01 am (UTC -4)
I lost all respect for Omar after the Adam Rubin fiasco. What an idiot!
CaseStreet
10/28/2010-10:00am at 10:00 am (UTC -4)
Alderson was also CEO of the Padres until 2009 and heading MLB’s damage control in Latin America.
Choosing Alderson was the obvious choice given he brings the most credibility to the franchise given his vast depth of experience and connections in MLB.
I really hope he does what’s best for the team, not necessarily what Ownership or the Fans want to see.
Hopefully, the Alderson era will be remembered as an exciting time for us Mets fans.
Ceetar
10/28/2010-10:09am at 10:09 am (UTC -4)
I hope he wasn’t brought in from the credibility standpoint.
I find it hard to believe any GM was going to come in and be a puppet, or do something that wasn’t best for the team. It was the same story with Omar too, he wasn’t coming here to play second-fiddle or be second-guessed.
If Jeff was truly out to try to ‘control’ things in the past, what exactly was the change of heart that makes us think this changed? They controlled who they hired as GM. Sure, Alderson is currently untainted by failure. (Maybe Omar got vetoed occasionally based on past failures, something Jeff hinted at after the season, that since he supported the signing of Castillo and Perez, further decisions made regarding them were colored by that) Alderson will still have to run big signings by the Wilpons. that’s not going to change.
kingman 26
10/28/2010-10:23am at 10:23 am (UTC -4)
“If Jeff was truly out to try to ‘control’ things in the past, what exactly was the change of heart that makes us think this changed?”
Yes, had they hired a recently-fired GM young enough to be Alderson’s child, it would be absolutely the same as hiring a GM with a ring, who was a Marine in Vietnam, a Harvard Law grad, a successful lawyer and executive, and a lecturer at one of the nation’s best schools.
Of course, the amount of interference Byrnes would have taken the job willing to accept should be interpreted as being identical to what Alderson would accept.
And yes, clearly the Wilpons’ hiring of Alderson shows nothing regarding the fact that they may now step back and let a GM have much more independence than Omar had, especially during his last few years.
Ceetar
10/28/2010-10:31am at 10:31 am (UTC -4)
Make the right moves, and interference is irrelevant. we don’t even know if interference exists, it’s merely the popular story line around the Mets.
You really think if Alderson goes to Jeff and says “Sign this pitcher. 3 years, 42 million.” and Jeff replies, “that’s too much, gotta be under 36.” Sandy’s gonna say “PAY UP OR I WALK”?
kingman 26
10/28/2010-10:37am at 10:37 am (UTC -4)
Have a nice day.
Dirtysanchez
10/28/2010-10:26am at 10:26 am (UTC -4)
It all comes down to how much leash is he going to have
As rusty put it in his column, “rome wasnt built in a day”. Will the fan base and organization give him a long enough tenure to make a difference? Theres alot of expectation coming with Sandy and I dont believe it will be realized for a few years down the line. He has a whole lot of work to do and I fear not a lot of time to do it in considering the epic nosedive of this franchise
GravediggerHebner
10/28/2010-11:45am at 11:45 am (UTC -4)
While I disagree with one point in that I don’t think hiring Alderson was either bold or brave, I think it was incredibly safe and obvious, otherwise I agree with the opinions expressed within this post.
To me a great aspect of Alderson’s hiring is that for those who simply wanted a good GM, who just don’t acknowledge or refuse to be concerned with issues of respect and credibility, you got by most accounts a good GM so you should be pretty psyched.
For those who do care about respect and credibility, you got the one candidate who immediately covers those aspects as well. It’s win-win. Be happy.