Cohen: Mets won’t fire Ippler, Showalter Madison

Steve Cohen held a press conference this afternoon, As I promised. The owner of the Mets addressed the struggling franchise, which began play tonight with a 36-43 record that put them 8 1/2 down from the last playoff spot in the National League.

Cohen predictably expressed frustration with the team’s performance. However, he stressed that he has no plans to remove general manager Billy Eppler or skipper Buck Showalter mid-season (Link via Andy McCullough from The Athletic).

“If you want to attract good people to this organization, the worst thing you can do is rush in and win the headline for the day. You will not attract the best talent. You wouldn’t want to work with someone who has a short fuseCohen told reporters. “I know the fans want something to happen. I get it. But sometimes you just can’t do that, because you have long-term goals.“

Although there is no sweeping leadership shake-up in the offing, Cohen has hinted at a noteworthy front office move down the line. He indicated that the club intended to appoint a chief of baseball operations at some point, though he declined to give a timetable for the process. The Mets have been without a team president since Sandy Alderson moved into a consulting position last off-season.

Initial expectations were that Alderson’s replacement would focus on the business side while Eppler retained independence of baseball operations. Cohen’s comments this afternoon suggest he’ll likely bring in a new captain for baseball operations, pushing Eppler into the second front office role. Andy Martino from SNY He writes that the Mets also still intend to hire a business-oriented team president. The President of Baseball Operations/GM’s hierarchy is relatively common throughout the game, although it is rare for a club to appoint a President to take over the front office while retaining the same GM who previously led baseball operations. Martino suggests that Eppler be involved in the hiring process for the head of baseball operations.

“My point is that this is a very complex job and there is a lot to do, and it is very much about one person,Cohen said of the front office structure (Gone by MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo). “Still there. we will see. At some point, we will fill this position.How this might affect Eppler’s future with the organization is not specified. No new hire appears imminent, so the second-year GM will continue to run the front office for at least the near future.

If this recruitment process extends beyond next season, it is sure to invite a lot of speculation about David Stearns’ future. The Mets reportedly showed interest in Stearns during the 2021-22 season prior to hiring Eppler. He was still serving as the Brewers’ president of baseball operations at the time, though, and Milwaukee owner Mark Attanasio refused to grant the Mets permission for an interview.

Stearns remained Milwaukee’s front office chief through the end of last season. At that point, he took on an advisory role and ceded day-to-day autonomy to GM Matt Arnold. At the time, the 38-year-old talked about wanting to “To take a deep breath, (to spend) time with my family and (explore) some other interestWith fewer baseball operations responsibilities. He’s still under contract with Milwaukee through the end of the 2023 season, so other teams will have to wait until next season to gauge his interest in new opportunities.

It’s not clear if the Manhattan native has any interest in jumping to the top of a front desk. For now, the relationships between the Mets and Stearns are pure speculation. Abby Mastraco from the New York Daily News He wrote back last week that some within the industry expect the Mets to renew their pursuit of Stearns next winter.

While the front office structure will be a pivotal decision for Cohen in the long term, his most immediate focus will be on getting past the trade deadline. With just over a month to go before August 1, he refused to abide by the club’s directives. However, Cohen hinted that the team would have to cut short over the next four weeks in order for the front office to consider offering short-term help.

“If I’m in that situation, I’m not addingCohen said (via McCullough). “I think that would be very silly.He didn’t seem eager to tear up the roster, either, saying the team’sYou may do very little“If they are out of contention. David RobertsonAnd Tommy Pham And Carlos Carrasco They are the club’s pre-eminent free agents. Max ScherzerAnd Omar Narvaez And Adam Ottavino All have year-end opt-out clauses. The team has options Mark Kanha And Brooks Raleighwhile Alonso House Eligible to arbitrate for one additional season.