NY Mets: Five fabulous Sandy Alderson moves as Mets GM

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 16: Sandy Alderson, general manager of the New York Mets, during a press conference ahead of game one of the MLB NLCS at Citifield on October 16, 2015 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 16: Sandy Alderson, general manager of the New York Mets, during a press conference ahead of game one of the MLB NLCS at Citifield on October 16, 2015 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK – OCTOBER 29: Sandy Alderson answers questions during a press conference after being introduced as the general manager for the New York Mets on October 29, 2010 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – OCTOBER 29: Sandy Alderson answers questions during a press conference after being introduced as the general manager for the New York Mets on October 29, 2010 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images) /

Former New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson will make his return to the front office as team president and oversee a roster he has largely constructed himself.

New York Mets owner in waiting Steve Cohen has already made his first big move before officially stepping foot into Mets headquarters as the team’s new CEO. On Thursday morning reports around the league had surfaced that Cohen was bringing back former Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson as Team President, pending his ownership approval from the other 31 Major League Baseball owners in November.

The 72-year old Alderson, who is currently a Senior Advisor with the Oakland Athletics, was the Mets General Manager from 2010-2018. Most famously Alderson is widely recognized for constructing and developing the 2015 Mets squad that won the National League Pennant and went on to the World Series against the Kansas City Royals. Due to the Mets’ success in 2015, Alderson also took home the Baseball America Executive of the Year Award.

We all know Alderson, for the most part, wasn’t able to operate with a big market budget throughout his time in New York due to no fault in his own, and it’ll be interesting to see how he approaches operations in the front office with the biggest budget he’s ever had.

While Alderson’s departure from the Mets organization back in 2018 was not the way anybody would like to have seen him go out due to his ongoing battle with cancer, it’s only fitting that Alderson returns back to the organization he has helped construct for close to a decade.

At this point, it is yet to be determined if Alderson will be handling more than the day-to-day baseball and business operations, and stepping back into the General Manager’s seat. But in celebration of Alderson’s return to the Mets front office, I thought it was only fitting to revisit five of Alderson’s best moves as the Mets General Manager.

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 18: Yoenis Cespedes
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 18: Yoenis Cespedes /

2015: The last-minute Yoenis Cespedes trade at the deadline

If there ever was one transaction that defined Sandy Alderson’s time as Mets General Manager and could be defined as franchising altering, it was the trade with Detroit Tigers at the 2015 MLB Trade Deadline for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. In return, the Mets would give up Minor League pitchers Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa. We all have to remember this trade may never have happened if it wasn’t for the nixed Carlos Gomez trade with the Milwaukee Brewers just a couple of days prior.

Cespedes burst on to the scene immediately with the Mets and not only brought the production on the field, but he also brought energy and swagger to the ballclub that we hadn’t seen since our homegrown shortstop Jose Reyes had departed after the 2011 season.

Prior to this trade occurring a mere thirteen minutes prior to the deadline, let us also not forget that the Mets also had just blown a 7-1 lead less than 24 hours prior and we also had to stomach days in July with John Mayberry Jr. hitting cleanup due to a lack of offensive options during most of the first half of the regular season.

Enter La Potencia. Cespedes would hit .287 with a ridiculous .942 OPS to go along with 17 home runs and 44 RBI’s over his 57 magical regular-season games with the Mets, and help power their way to the National League Pennant and World Series birth. Cespedes would also go on to have a very successful 2016 campaign with the Mets after re-signing in the offseason, despite his season being marred with a golfing controversy.

While the Cespedes marriage did not end how all of us would have envisioned in 2020, there is no denying the impact Cespedes made during the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Mets and allowed the team to reach heights that most likely weren’t feasible had this trade not been made.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 29: David Wright #5 of the New York Mets waves to the crowd after leaving a game against the Miami Marlins in the fifth inning at Citi Field on September 29, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Marlins 1-0 in 13 innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 29: David Wright #5 of the New York Mets waves to the crowd after leaving a game against the Miami Marlins in the fifth inning at Citi Field on September 29, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Marlins 1-0 in 13 innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

2012: David Wright’s Extension

After Jose Reyes had walked in free agency after the 2011 season to the division rival Miami Marlins, there was now surrounding pressure building from both the fanbase and the media for Alderson to open up the checkbook and pay one of the biggest Mets homegrown stars in their history in third baseman David Wright. Wright was one year away from free agency and was still at the top of his game as one of the best players in baseball despite turning 30 years old.

Alderson would ultimately get an extension done with Captain America’s agents Sam and Seth Levinson at the 2012 MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville. The deal at length would be a 7-year extension that totaled out to $138 million to continue to be the face of the franchise, despite the Mets struggling on the field over the previous seasons. The Mets were also in an era where they were very budget conscious and it wasn’t necessarily a given that Wright would be offered a lucrative extension due to his age and the Mets payroll situation.

Looking back I don’t believe Mets fans would’ve been able to stomach both Jose Reyes AND David Wright in opposite team uniforms after the 2013 season. I know I wouldn’t have been able to and with the play on the field, it seemed many fans were losing hope. This was a deal that had to be made and despite the results not completely panning out over the length of the deal due to Wright’s injury history, at the time it was one of the most significant moves the Mets could have made to deliver hope to their fanbase that better days were coming.

In 2013 during Spring Training, Wright would be named only the fourth team captain in Mets history. He would also play a significant role in the Mets winning the National League Pennant and their World Series appearance back in 2015. Unfortunately, Wright would ultimately retire at the age of 36 years old due to injuries at the conclusion of the 2018 campaign. However, despite the injuries, Wright was able to produce when in the lineup back in 2013, 2014, and 2015 seasons after signing his extension and etched his name in stone as one of the greatest Mets players of all time.

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 18: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets talks with Travis d’Arnaud #7 against the Chicago Cubs during game two of the 2015 MLB National League Championship Series at Citi Field on October 18, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 18: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets talks with Travis d’Arnaud #7 against the Chicago Cubs during game two of the 2015 MLB National League Championship Series at Citi Field on October 18, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

2012: Blockbuster trade with Toronto Blue Jays

Sandy Alderson was a busy man during the month of December in 2012 as he would swing a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Blue Jays and acquire right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, catcher John Buck, and outfielder Wuilmer Becerra in exchange for Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey as well as catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas.

The two big prizes of this trade for the Mets were Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud as both were highly regarded as two of the top prospects in the Blue Jays Minor League system, and were now inserted to be part of the future Mets core for seasons to come.

Many executives and media around the league believed that the Mets had pulled a robbery on the Blue Jays by acquiring two of their prized prospects in exchange for a knuckleball pitcher and a couple of underwhelming catchers. At the end of the day, you can certainly argue that the Mets won that trade, as Dickey did not perform as well as he did in a Mets uniform for the Blue Jays and Syndergaard, as well as d’Arnaud, have gone on to have successful careers thus far.

When this move was made Alderson had already had a vision for how the Mets organization was going to be built and he envisioned the team being built through pitching. While d’Arnaud had a mixed bag of results for the Mets during his time, especially due to various injuries, and is now thriving with the Atlanta Braves, Syndergaard has gone on to establish himself as one of the top of the rotation stalwarts for the Mets since his debut in 2015.

The results of this trade will certainly continue to play out over future seasons with both Syndergaard and d’Arnaud currently active players in the Major Leagues, but looking back on this trade it was one of the biggest wins Sandy Alderson had as General Manager of the Mets when building his vision for the organization.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 15: Pitcher Zack Wheeler #45 of the New York Mets in action against the Los Angeles Dodgers during of a game at Citi Field on September 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 15: Pitcher Zack Wheeler #45 of the New York Mets in action against the Los Angeles Dodgers during of a game at Citi Field on September 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

2011: Acquiring Zack Wheeler in exchange for Carlos Beltran

One of the first big moves Sandy Alderson made as Mets General Manager was trading cornerstone outfielder Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants for one of the Giants top prospects in right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler back in July of 2011.

While at the time it was a tough pill to swallow losing Beltran who had established himself as one of the most complete outfielders in Mets history, Beltran was in his walk year, and we all knew a divorce was inevitable at the end of the season.

Beltran would waive his no-trade clause to play for the Giants who were in the hunt for a playoff spot at the time, and in exchange, the Mets would receive the first piece of their rebuilding plan in Zack Wheeler. This would eventually come out as a win for Sandy Alderson and company, as the Giants would ultimately miss the postseason and Beltran would solely be a rental player as he would walk in the offseason to play for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Wheeler would prove his worth over his six seasons with the Mets despite missing two seasons due to Tommy John surgery. Wheeler would end up as fourth all-time in Mets history in strikeouts-per-nine innings and is twelfth all-time in Mets history in strikeouts. We all also remember Wheeler’s second half of the 2018 season where over his final 11 starts he held a 1.68 ERA and was on a whole other level on the mound.

Zack Wheeler played an important role at the beginning of the Sandy Alderson era, and there was no doubt that Alderson had to find a way to get some sort of value for an impending free agent in Carlos Beltran. He ended up with a starting pitcher who provided value to the Mets for multiple seasons and played a large role in setting the foundation for the future pitching rotation at the Major League level.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 24: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets in action against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on September 24, 2019 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Marlins 5-4 in eleven innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 24: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets in action against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on September 24, 2019 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Marlins 5-4 in eleven innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

2014: Drafting Michael Conforto 10th overall in the 2014 MLB Draft

When making this last pick for Alderson’s best move as General Manager of the New York Mets it was not hard to highlight his selection of outfielder Michael Conforto in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft.

Alderson has a pretty solid drafting record that includes Brandon Nimmo, Dominic Smith, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil but at this point, it’s not unfair to say that Michael Conforto has more of an established track record and should find himself as one of the cornerstones of the franchise for years to come.

Conforto burst on to the scene for the Mets back in 2015 after barely playing a full season in the Minor Leagues and made his impact felt immediately as a rookie and slugged nine home runs in 56 games while playing a vital role in the Mets National League Championship season.

After a bit of a sophomore slump in 2016, Conforto would make the National League All-Star team in 2017 and post career-best numbers but his season would, unfortunately, be cut short due to injury.

Fast forward to 2020 and the 27-year old Conforto has established himself as one of the best all-around outfielders in the game of baseball and is certainly going to get paid one way or the other after the 2021 season. To this point, this draft pick by Sandy Alderson has been gone down as easily his best as Mets General Manager due to Conforto’s long-term success he has achieved and by projecting his future success in seasons to come as Conforto now seems to be hitting the middle of his prime.

Next. Is J.T. Realmuto or Michael Conforto a bigger priority this offseason?

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