The Mets’ GM search is marching towards its conclusion, as former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes and former Athletics GM and Padres CEO Sandy Alderson appear to be the finalists for the position.
It’s all speculation until the team names a general manager, but Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has an interesting piece of information regarding who may be on the short list to be the club’s next manager.
I can see how some people may have a problem with this. And I’m not even talking about his history with domestic violence. I’m talking about the perception battle. By now, we know that the Mets like Backman. He appears to be in good standing with the organization after leading the Brooklyn Cyclones to a division title. It’s very possible that Byrnes and Alderson value him too, but should Backman end up getting hired, the public perception will be that ownership led the new GM to their first significant decision. That’s probably not a good idea.
The full-autonomy tag is silly anyway, as I realize that ownership is in on almost every significant decision, but the Mets have been losing this perception battle for years now. Part of this offseason facelift must be about attempting to change that perception, perhaps more than the actual players on the field.
