Mets general manager Sandy Alderson looks on during a Mets...

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson looks on during a Mets workout at Citi Field on March 28, 2018. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Mets team president Sandy Alderson said on Tuesday that he is not planning to immediately hire or promote anyone to replace fired general manager Jared Porter.

"In the short term, no," Alderson said on a Zoom news conference. "What I would expect – with the group that we have now – that we will move forward toward the end of the offseason, move into spring training and the regular season."

The Mets fired Porter on Tuesday after an ESPN.com report was posted on Monday night about Porter sending a slew of unsolicited and graphic texts to a female reporter in 2016, when he worked for the Cubs.

When he was hired as general manager on Dec 15, Porter beat out Boston assistant general manager Zack Scott. A week later, the Mets went ahead and hired Scott as Porter’s assistant general manager. So why not just promote Scott to GM?

"Some of those discussions haven’t taken place [yet]," Alderson said. "But you’re right to speculate about that. As I said, I hope we resolve that in the next day or two. . . . Maybe I do a little more. Maybe Zack does a little more. We meet somewhere in the middle and then we preserve our options going forward. I think that’s a real possibility."

Alderson also made it sound as if he’s been doing most of the heavy lifting anyway with a kitchen cabinet that still includes former interim GM John Ricco, Tommy Tanous and Alderson’s son Bryn from the scouting side, Ben Zauzmer and Joe Lefkowitz from research and development and Ian Levin from baseball operations.

Alderson pointed out that the Mets signed free agents James McCann and Trevor May before Porter was hired. He also said he was heavily involved with the Francisco Lindor/Carlos Carrasco trade with Cleveland and with major free agent negotiations.

Porter, Alderson said, was more essential on "the smaller deals that fill out our roster," such as Tuesday’s acquisition of lefthander Joey Lucchesi as part of a three-team deal with the Padres and Pirates.

Then-Padres starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi throws to a Rockies batter in...

Then-Padres starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi throws to a Rockies batter in the first inning of a game in Denver on Aug. 1, 2020. Credit: AP/David Zalubowski

That trade – which was reported on Monday, but not announced until Tuesday – was the final one of Porter’s 37-day tenure.

"In the larger transactions, that’s where I’m mostly involved," Alderson said. "Whether it’s signing the free agents or making the trade for Lindor. I’m comfortable we’re able to work well in both categories [without Porter]. But if I were to say that Jared is going to be missed in any area, it’s really in smaller deals like the one we announced today where we’re filling out the roster, creating depth and looking for players that may be undervalued."

Lucchesi, 27, could fill that bill. He threw only 5 2/3 innings for the Padres in 2020. He debuted for San Diego in 2018 and went 8-9 with a 4.08 ERA in 26 starts. In 2019, he went 10-10 with a 4.18 ERA in 30 starts. Last season, he was 0-1, 7.94 in three appearances (two starts). Lucchesi has a career strikeout rate of 9.3 per nine innings.

The Mets sent 20-year-old catching prospect Endy Rodriguez to the Pirates. The biggest name in the deal was righthander Joe Musgrove, who went from Pittsburgh to San Diego. The Pirates also got four prospects from the Padres.

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