Mets' Sandy Alderson says he hasn't talked with Steve Cohen about his job status

MIAMI — A chaotic 10 months into his return to the Mets, team president Sandy Alderson said he has not spoken with Steve Cohen about his job status beyond this year but anticipates doing so as part of a season-end conversation with the owner.

"Probably at some point we should sit down and review the year," Alderson said. "I’m sure he’ll tell me what his impressions are and so forth."

Cohen and Alderson’s first season running the Mets has been tumultuous, most recently because acting general manager Zack Scott was arrested last week for drunk driving. He pleaded not guilty and was put on administrative leave, with Alderson assuming his responsibilities running the baseball operations department.

In his first public comments since that move, Alderson mostly declined to discuss on the situation other than to say "we were all caught by surprise" and it is "very unfortunate."

"There’s not a lot I can say beyond the statements that we previously made," Alderson said. "It’s a criminal case at this point. Until that’s resolved, there won’t be any further comment from us or anyone else in the organization."

He also said he "really can’t comment" on whether he can envision a scenario in which Scott returns to the job.

Each of Alderson’s past three major baseball hires have turned out poorly — and not for anything to do with baseball.

Former manager Mickey Callaway was banned from MLB through at least the end of the 2022 season for sending inappropriate messages to a variety of women he encountered at work. Former GM Jared Porter was fired 37 days after being hired, then also suspended by MLB through at least the end of 2022, after the team learned he sent unsolicited lewd texts to a female reporter in 2016. And now Scott.

"It’s incredibly unfortunate. I’m personally sort of chagrined by the whole thing," Alderson said. "But to a large extent, they’re unrelated. Each one of them. And I’m not sure that it points to a single flaw in our hiring process. But it’s obviously caused us to take a hard look at it, which we continue to do.

"On the one hand, you can say, well, it’s a coincidence. On the other hand, you have to take a hard look and say, so, what are we doing here? What am I doing here? What needs to change in our selection process? Believe me."

Alderson, the GM from 2010-18, accepted his current job anticipating having a president of baseball operations and a GM under him. Now, he has neither. That has caused him to delegate more responsibility on the business side of the organization as he focuses on the baseball, with the Mets trying to make a playoff push.

He said he wants to "strengthen the leadership on the baseball side" this offseason. Whether that includes hiring a president of baseball operations, he noted, "We’re going to certainly look at all of our options."

Among the other looming questions for the Mets: What will be manager Luis Rojas’ fate? His contract is up after this season.

"I’m not assuming we’re going to miss the playoffs at this point," Alderson said. "[The Rojas call is] a decision we’ll make in light of all the circumstances at the end of the season."