Mets to interview Dodgers' White; Texas' Daniels on radar

The Mets have added Dodgers assistant general manager Logan White to their list of first-round interviews for this week, but a team spokesman said yesterday that they are still waiting for permission on additional candidates, which may lengthen the timetable for hiring a new GM.

White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn interviewed Tuesday, with former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes to follow Wednesday and White confirmed for Friday. The Mets have yet to announce a date for Sandy Alderson, but that interview seems likely for Thursday.

Heading into this week, it was believed that the Mets would choose their next GM from the four candidates who had been scheduled for interviews: Red Sox assistant GM Allard Baird, who was in Monday, Hahn, Byrnes or Alderson. But White's name surfaced in a report by ESPNLosAngeles.com late Monday and the Mets stated Tuesday that they were waiting on permission for others.

One of those candidates could be Rangers GM Jon Daniels, whose team won Game 5 against the Rays last night. With the Rangers advancing in the playoffs to meet the Yankees, that could delay any interview, as it is unlikely Daniels would speak to the Mets with Texas in the American League Championship Series.

Daniels, 33, is from Bayside, Queens, and despite his success getting the Rangers back to the playoffs for the first time since 1999, the draw of returning home could help the Mets. He also has an out in his contract that would allow him to leave, but it is believed the new ownership group will work very hard to keep him in Texas.

Another possible addition is the Diamondbacks' Jerry DiPoto, who lost out on the Arizona GM job to Kevin Towers but has since signed on to stay in a different role. DiPoto, a former relief pitcher for the Mets, took over as the D-backs' interim GM when Byrnes was fired earlier this season.

White, 47, interviewed for Arizona's GM position after Byrnes was fired, but the job went to Towers. White is best known for his scouting skills and success in the draft, from which he helped build the Dodgers with the picks of Matt Kemp, James Loney, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw and Jonathan Broxton.

The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that White already has signed a two-year extension with the Dodgers to remain as an assistant GM and head of the amateur scouting department. That would seem to rule out any chance of White leaving Los Angeles for anything less than a GM job with the Mets, unless they could give him a different job title to work in a top scouting capacity with another GM, such as Alderson, who is believed to be the favorite.

The Mets currently have five interviews planned this week for the first round, which is being handled by chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and interim GM John Ricco. Once the list is pared to a smaller group, principal owner Fred Wilpon and team president Saul Katz will be involved in the final decision.