Source: Mets finalizing deal to hire Jared Porter as general manager

The Mets finally have a new general manager, and he comes with quite the championship pedigree

On Saturday night, according to sources, the club was finalizing its hire of Jared Porter, who is one of Theo Epstein’s protégés, having worked for the curse-busting baseball boss with the Red Sox and Cubs. He was a part of World Series-winning front offices in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2016.

Porter, 41, has been an assistant general manager with the Diamondbacks for the past four seasons, serving as the right-hand man to GM Mike Hazen, another branch on the Epstein tree.

This marks the start of the re-stocking of the Mets' front office under owner Steve Cohen and team president Sandy Alderson. They are the last major-league team to hire a top baseball executive this offseason — the Phillies did so Friday by adding Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations — and have other spots to fill.

Porter replaces Brodie Van Wagenen, who was booted along with most of his front-office inner circle upon the arrival of Cohen and Alderson last month. In the weeks since, Alderson has overseen the search for a new person to lead the baseball operations department, initially seeking a president of baseball operations before settling for a general manager.

Among the others considered for the job, a source said Friday, were Red Sox assistant GM Zack Scott, Athletics assistant GM Billy Owens and former Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill.

Porter comes to the Mets with a pro scouting background as well as a thorough understanding of the technologies and metrics ubiquitous in modern front offices. Use of analytics is built into working for each of the organizations with which he has spent time.

"You want somebody well-rounded who would have skills in all those different areas," Cohen said last month of his ideal baseball operations leader. "I’m not crazy about people learning on my dime. Hopefully we can find someone who is well-rounded and has abilities in multi areas."

After joining the Red Sox as an intern in 2004, Porter climbed the ranks to director of pro scouting, a title he held from 2012-15. He had the same job with the Cubs from 2015-16 before heading to Arizona with Hazen.

The Mets still need department heads for analytics, player development and other sections of baseball operations. There also is the expectation that they will bolster their front office at all levels with additional rank-and-file employees.

Among the holdovers from the previous regime are Bryn Alderson, Sandy’s son and the director of pro scouting, as well as amateur scouting bosses Tommy Tanous and Marc Tramuta.

Porter makes it five current presidents of baseball operations/GMs who worked under Epstein. The others are Hazen (Diamondbacks), Jed Hoyer (Cubs), Brian O’Halloran (Red Sox) and Ben Cherington (Pirates).

He reportedly interviewed for the Angels’ GM opening this offseason and had been linked to the same job with the Cubs. Hoyer was promoted to president of baseball operations after the departure of Epstein.

The Mets’ baseball power structure is not clear. When he was looking for a president of baseball operations, Alderson — the Mets’ GM from 2010-18 — said he wanted a seat at the baseball decision-making table but not to be at the head of the table. With a less-experienced GM, though, Alderson expects his voice to be a little louder.

"I will be a little more involved with the baseball than I originally thought," Alderson said Nov. 23. "But I don't think it changes the descriptive job description for the GM."

Alderson said he wanted someone who "has overall baseball credibility."

"And more so the enthusiasm, the energy that's necessary to effect change and build out an organization over a period of time," he said. "There’s a lot to be done. But I'm looking for somebody who has overall ability rather than any particular background within the baseball domain."