Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

A week into the Mets' process of interviewing for Sandy Alderson's replacement as the head of baseball operations, there truly seems to be no frontrunner. The Mets are considering candidates with backgrounds as disparate as Gary LaRocque and Chaim Bloom, and are still weighing which direction to go.

You can find people in the organization advocating for a more traditional approach, and those who are more enthusiastic about analytics. Others are moderates on this issue. Therefore, the only credible answer to the question of what the team is going to do is "not sure yet, because they're not, either."

Mets C Travis D'Arnaud had Tommy John surgery this past April, which means the starting catcher job in 2019 is now wide open.

D'Arnaud, who will be 30 years next February, is expected to be out through the first few months of next season. He's also eligible for arbitration this winter and could end up earning as much as $4 million next season, after which he can be a free agent for the first time in his career.

My hunch is the Mets will cut d'Arnaud loose and use the saved money to hopefully help in acquiring a more -productive, proven, everyday starting catcher. Even if cut, I expect d'Arnaud will sign a lesser deal to remain with the Mets, with whom he can continue his rehab with trainers that know in St. Lucie.

Mets legend and current SNY announcer Keith Hernandez will headline the 2019 Queens Baseball Convention (QBC), it was announced Monday.

Hernandez will take part in an hour-long panel discussion that will include questions from attendees, and will be taking part in an autograph session.

The fan-run QBC, presented by SNY, is taking place on January 19, 2019 at Katch Astoria. 

Indians GM Mike Chernoff, who the Mets have interest in for their top baseball operations job, is now viewed as being less likely to interview, league sources told SNY's Andy Martino. 

Chernoff, 37, has worked in Cleveland with former team president and current Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro, and current Indians president Chris Antonetti. Both are close with Omar Minaya. Chernoff is the son of Mark Chernoff, VP of programming for WFAN.

This first round of "interviews" has taken many forms -- from sit-downs in New York to informal telephone conversations, notes Martino.

Every Sunday, we'll be taking a look at how notable Mets prospects are faring in the Arizona Fall League. The AFL features some of the best prospects in baseball and its regular season runs through Nov. 15. The Championship Game is Nov. 17. 

Peter Alonso, 1B

The 23-year-old Alonso, the No. 58 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, has played four games and is hitting .500 with one homer and one double -- good for a 1.306 OPS in 16 at-bats.

The Mets continue to search for their new head of baseball operations or GM to replace Sandy Alderson, and though it is the early stages, the candidate list is starting to fill out. 

New York has already spoken to a few potential baseball execs, with SNY's Andy Martino saying "sit-downs in New York to informal telephone conversations" have made up the first rounds of the search. Their candidate list is wide-ranging as well. 

Here's a look at where things stand in the search so far, and which candidates are at the top of the heap...

A look at where Mets ace Jacob deGrom's dominant season ranks in the top 10 of the last 50 years.

Here are the key 2018 MLB offseason dates, and how they impact the Mets...

Day after World Series ends (Between Oct. 28 and Nov. 1) : Free agency begins

The Mets should be making their GM hire right around the time free agency begins, meaning immediate pressure on whoever gets the gig to come up with a plan and start executing it. Outfielder Bryce Harper and shortstop/third baseman Manny Machado headline the free agent class. The Mets may look for a new catcher, and Yasmani Grandal and Wilson Ramos will both be available. Among the top tier starting pitchers available are Patrick Corbin and Dallas Keuchel. When it comes to relievers, Craig Kimbrel, Adam Ottavino, and old friend Jeurys Familia are among the headliners.

On the latest episode of Shea Anything, Doug Williams and Andy Martino are joined by former New York Mets catcher Anthony Recker! They discuss the dominance of Jacob deGrom, what deGrom is like behind the scenes, and what it's like to catch all the hard-throwing starting pitchers in the Mets rotation. The guys also chat about David Wright, and the potential role he could have in a future Mets front office.  

Don't forget - we want hear from you! Go to SNY.tv/SheaAnything and upload a video or audio clip of your take on the Mets. Keep it to 30 seconds or less, make it good, and you may be on the show!

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

The way I've heard it, the Mets hiring a new GM and front office personnel is not being done in preparation of the team ripping down the roster and going through another rebuild. Instead, the goal is to install people with experience winning so they can build on what exists and and get the Mets back to the World Series sooner than later.

If that's the case, the answer to the question in the headline is simple...

To best way for the team to gain trust and show full-force commitment to winning is to sign free-agent-to-be Manny Machado...

Top Mets prospects Peter Alonso and Andres Gimenez both homered in the Arizona Fall Leauge on Wednesday night while playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions.

Alonso, the No. 58 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, finished a triple shy of the cycle. He had an infield single in the first inning, doubled to left in the third, homered to left in the sixth, and walked in the eighth. The 23-year-old went 2-for-4 on Tuesday in what was his first game with Scottsdale. 

After doing work on Wednesday, Alonso took time out to meet some of his smallest fans... 

Players in a local softball league game at DeWitt Clinton Park in Manhattan were greeted by a surprise guest on Tuesday night:  Dom Smith.

The 23-year-old Smith met the players, signed autographs, took photos, and even had pinch-hit in the softball game, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. 

Click below to see...

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | As the Mets continue to speak with people about replacing Sandy Alderson as head of baseball operations -- some in person this week in New York, and some less formally -- multiple major league sources said that Cleveland GM Mike Chernoff is among the candidates.

Chernoff, 37, has worked in Cleveland with former team president, and current Toronto Blue Jays president, Mark Shapiro, and current Indians president Chris Antonetti. Both are close with Omar Minaya. Chernoff is the son of Mark Chernoff, VP of programming for WFAN.

This first round of "interviews" has taken many forms, from sit-downs in New York to informal telephone conversations. Mets brass has been very active in pursuing conversations with many people in the game, soliciting thoughts about their direction.

The Mets have been actively seeking a new GM to take over for next season and beyond, and the "Baseball Night in New York" crew wanted to take their shot at winning the job. 

Sal Licata and Jon Hein met with Doug Williams and former Mets GM Jim Duquette to discuss what they believe is the path the Mets must take to return to a championship contender....

The Mets have nine arbitration-eligible players this offseason. Six of them are locks to be offered arbitration, and three of them have a more uncertain Mets future.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, here's what they're projected to make if offered arbitration, and what the rest of their contract situation is. We'll first tackle the locks to be offered arbitration, followed by the question marks...

Locks

Before their season-ending 4-3 loss to the Red Sox Tuesday night in Game 4 of the ALDS, the Yankees put out a call for the 'Avengers' on Twitter, saying it was 'all on the line.'

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard (AKA Thor), who has been voyaging around Europe -- where he became a Viking -- had a response to the Yankees on Wednesday morning.

Click below to see...

Hall of Fame manager and current Red Sox executive Tony La Russa recently called the Mets to give a strong endorsement for Gary LaRocque, who the team is considering to fill their GM or president of baseball operations role.

"I don't want to disrespect anyone who is being considered, but there isn't going to be anyone who is better than [LaRocque]," La Russa told Mike Puma of the New York Post. "Whoever the best candidates are, he is right there at least tied with them."

Along with LaRocque, MLB executive Kim Ng, Nationals special assistant De Jon Watson, and Doug Melvin are being interviewed during Round 1 of the process. According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Mets are still open to agents Brodie Van Wagenen and Casey Close for one of the roles, along with at least one other unidentified candidate whose name has not been reported. 

The Mets would be wise to sign at least one elite power hitter to play corner outfielder or third base, while also adding a top-tier relief pitcher to their bullpen. I talked with three insiders (currently working for teams that aren't the Mets) to better understand how this winter's top free agents at the above positions will be valued on the open market...

Manny Machado (Third base, shortstop)

As a third baseman and shortstop, Machado can expect to see offers worth as much $35 million per season, as opposed to $5 million less had be been marketing himself at only the hot corner. This is why he and his agent were so adamant about his playing shortstop this past season...

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | As the Mets interview candidates to lead their baseball operations department, they remain secretive about the early stages of their process. The view from here is that the situation will yet contain surprises, and what the team has called "outside the box" candidates -- and that a top agent like Brodie Van Wagenen or Casey Close is uniquely positioned to provide what the organization needs.

When Sandy Alderson stepped aside in June, the team lost a leader who brought together different departments, and served as a credible, articulate face of the team. That's why it would be wise to replace him with a person who has gravitas, a strong reputation in the game, and the ability to balance analytics with traditional scouting, rather than acting as a partisan to either side.

Both Van Wagenen and Close bring those qualities. The former is not only respected within the industry, but also enjoys a strong relationship with Mets hierarchy. A leading CAA agent, he represents Jacob deGrom, Yoenis Cespedes, Noah Syndergaard, Tim Tebow and Todd Frazier, and knows the organization well. He has been able to navigate negotiations without conflict or grudge, and communicate with the public smoothly, when appropriate...

John Harper, for SNY.tv | Twitter | 

A day later, despite denials from all involved on the Yankees' side, Ron Darling is standing by his comments that Luis Severino appeared to be late for his warm-up before Monday night's ALDS Game 3 loss to the Red Sox. 

"It seemed unusual to me," Darling told SNY by phone on Tuesday. "That's why I brought it up. A lot of people can disagree, but, really, I don't know how they could."

Darling, the former Met who does analysis on Mets' games for SNY, told a national audience during TBS' broadcast that he saw Severino begin throwing off the bullpen mound at 7:32 p.m., eight minutes before the game was scheduled to start. 

SNY, the home of all things New York sports and the cable home of the New York Mets, will be expanding their sponsorship of The Queens Baseball Convention (QBC), the fan-run event taking place on January 19, 2019 at Katch Astoria.

For the first time, SNY will bring Baseball Night in New York to the QBC, doing a live version of the show in front of Mets fans from across the region. Also making their debut at the QBC will be SNY's Shea Anything podcast.

In addition to SNY panels, the QBC will host player Q&A sessions, autograph signings, games, vendors, and mascot appearances.

In the days after Sandy Alderson stepped down as GM due to health reasons, I mentioned how the Mets should not just hire a GM, but also hire a President of Baseball Operations to set short-term goals for the GM and staff, all of which should be based on a clear, longer-term strategy.

Four of the five teams currently using this hierarchy (Red Sox, A's, Dodgers and Cubs) made the postseason this year. It's a successful structure because it separates the day-to-day networking, media updates, transaction management and paperwork from the big picture concepts, communicating with ownership and the restructuring and overseeing of all new and existing departments.

The other advantage to interviewing for a more senior-level position is that it more or less assures the Mets the opportunity to talk with current lower-level executives from with other teams...

Mets right-handed pitching prospect Justin Dunn rebounded from a rough 2017 season, dominating in High-A St. Lucie before a promotion to Double-A Binghamton this past season, and is now ranked as one of the Top 100 Prospects (No. 89) in baseball, according to MLB.com. 

So what was the difference for the 23-year-old?

John Sickels of SB Nation points to Dunn's improved strikeout-to-walk rate and the advancement of his secondary pitches...

The Mets will interview Nationals special assistant De Jon Watson for their GM job next Wednesday, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Watson joined the Nats as part of their pro scouting department in January of 2017 as a special assistant to GM Mike Rizzo.

Prior to joining the Nats, Watson was the senior vice president of baseball operations for the Diamondbacks, where he oversaw their scouting and player development departments while working in tandem with Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart.

SS Andres Gimenez (No. 55), 1B Peter Alonso (No. 58), OF Jarred Kelenic (No. 62), and RHP Justin Dunn (No. 89) all moved up on MLB.com's new Top 100 prospects list.

Gimenez was No. 60, Alonso No. 65. Kelenic No. 69, and Dunn No. 100 on the midseason list. 

In the middle of the season, Baseball America's new farm system rankings had the Mets as the No. 19 overall system in baseball, up from No. 27 before the season...

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

The Mets will begin interviewing candidates to succeed Sandy Alderson as head of baseball operations early next week, according to a major league source. The team has received permission to speak to enough candidates to begin the process.

COO Jeff Wilpon and assistant GM John Ricco will conduct the first round of interviews.

As of late Thursday, the only interview scheduled was with Cardinals executive Gary LaRocque. Former Brewers GM Doug Melvin will also get an interview.

Dan Duquette, who was dismissed Wednesday as GM of the Orioles (along with manager Buck Showalter) will not receive an interview to be the Mets' GM/president of baseball operations, according to SNY's Andy Martino.

The 60-year-old Duquette's name is one that had been floated in recent months as a potential replacement for Sandy Alderson. 

Duquette had been GM of the Orioles since 2011, after stints as GM of the Red Sox (1994-2002), Expos (1987-1994) and Brewers (1980-87).

Mets ace Jacob deGrom was unanimously named 2018's Baseball Digest Pitcher of the Year, it was announced Thursday.

"It's a great honor," deGrom said in a press release. "I had a simple philosophy this season - to take it pitch-by-pitch and inning-by-inning. It was my job to put up zeros and that's what I tried to do. I tried to control what I could control. What I'm most proud of this year was my consistency."

DeGrom received all 15 first place votes while racking up 45 points. Max Scherzer was his closest competition (with 18 points), followed by Blake Snell, Justin Verlander, Aaron Nola, and Chris Sale. 

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | Almost immediately after Sandy Alderson stepped aside as Mets GM in June, speculation began that former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington would become a leading candidate. But as the Mets begin their interview process, Cherington is not expected to be a part of it, according to major league sources.

Cherington did not respond to a request for comment, and the Mets are not confirming or denying any names. People in the game who know Cherington say that he is happy in his job in the Toronto Blue Jays front office, and not eager to leave it.

The Mets have already scheduled several interviews. Their first round of candidates could include as many as a dozen people.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

As the early rounds of the baseball postseason occupy most of our attention, the Mets will quietly begin meeting with candidates for their next head of baseball operations. As we've previously reported, they are not necessarily looking for a general manager, but possibly for a president or executive vice president of baseball ops.

Here's how the process will work, according to sources: The team will soon begin interviewing candidates, but does not plan to announce names or publicize this round of interviews, which could grow to include nearly a dozen people.

A second round of interviews is expected to follow, as it did in 2010, when the Mets narrowed their search to Sandy Alderson and Josh Byrnes. By then, the process will be more public.

Noah Syndergaard is frolicking around Ireland, and he gave Mets fans a shock Wednesday when he posted a photo on Instagram of him in the barber's chair.

Before Syndergaard could reveal the finished result -- he got a bit taken off the sides as he prepares for a role as a Viking in a History Channel show (yes, that's really happening), fans took to Twitter to freak out over the possibility that Thor was having all of his locks chopped off.

Click below to see...

On Episode 10 of Rain Delay Theater: The Podcast, Steve Gelbs and Wayne Randazzo are joined by Mets outfielder Michael Conforto for the season finale of the pod! The guys talk about Conforto growing up with star athlete parents, how he became an outfielder at Oregon State, what it was like playing in the World Series as a rookie, and why getting back to form after shoulder surgery took him longer than he expected.

Click below to listen...

While watching Mets fans shower David Wright with love and thunderous ovations this past Saturday night at Citi Field, Jacob deGrom wondered if something like that at Citi Field could be in store for him in the future. 

"It's rare that happens anymore that guys spend their whole career with one team, and it shows you how special it is," deGrom said Sunday, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. "Definitely you think, 'What if this could be me?' however many years down the road."

DeGrom, who is under contract through the 2020 season, said multiple times this past season that he is open to a long-term contract extension with the Mets...

The response to and emotions shown to David Wright Saturday after his likely final game with the Mets was a rare occurrence in sports, let alone for the Mets. 

Since they have Todd Frazier, Jay Bruce, Jacob deGrom and others, the Mets will not be without leadership next season just because Wright is gone. The fact is, despite his reputation always hovering above the team, any physical leadership he provided the past few years was done mostly from afar.

That said, despite three other players having the potential to be the next homegrown player that achieves great things, makes us proud and does it only ever wearing a Mets uniform, only one guy has the necessary tools needed to be like Wright...

Who needs wins, anyway?

Jacob deGrom finished the season with a 10-9 record, but SNY makes the case that the Mets ace -- who ended up with a 1.70 ERA -- should get the vote for the National League Cy Young this season.

Forget Max Scherzer and Aaron Nola... and watch our campaign video.

With the MLB Postseason about to begin, who should Mets fans be rooting for to win the World Series? And which team winning it all would be the most awful?

On a scale from "that would be awesome" to "this makes me want to vomit," here's a guide...

1. Oakland Athletics

Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said Sunday that the team not being players for most of the top free agents in recent years was a "total recommendation" of the baseball operations department, adding that pursuing top free agents going forward would depend on the views of their next GM.

The Mets are replacing Sandy Alderson, who helped usher in the Moneyball Era when he was GM of the Oakland Athletics. Alderson spoke often during his Mets tenure about his aversion to handing out contracts that were enormous in terms of both years and dollars, explaining that those deals have a low probability of working out. 

When free agency begins, two of the most prized free agents in history will hit the open market -- 26 year-old infielder Manny Machado and 25-year-old outfielder Bryce Harper...

Mets 3B David Wright joined the SNY broadcast booth after playing in Saturday's game against the Marlins.

This season, thanks to Citi, each time the home run apple goes up at Citi Field, another step is taken in the fight against childhood hunger.

For each Mets home run hit at Citi Field this season, Citi has pledged to donate enough for No Kid Hungry to provide 20,000 meals to kids in need in NYC and throughout the U.S. Learn more about the Citi Community Home Runs program at Mets.com/Citi.  

Mets captain David Wright returned to third base Saturday night for the first time in over two and a half years, and President Donald Trump recorded a special message for him while at the United Nations.

"You are a spectacular man and a great baseball player," Trump said. "Tremendous hitter, tremendous fielder, a winner." 

Click below to watch Trump's full message:

Noah Syndergaard pitched the first shutout of his career and the Mets ended their season with a 1-0 win over the Marlins on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.

For a full box score of the game, click here.

Things you should know about today's game...

1) Syndergaard (13-4) allowed five hits and struck out six while tossing 101 pitches, including 78 for strikes. He finished the year by going 4-1 with a 1.73 ERA with two complete games this month. The right-hander went 11-3 over his final 17 starts and finished 2018 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 155 strikeouts in 154 1/3 innings. Mets pitching held the Marlins scoreless over the final 24 innings of the series.

Noah Syndergaard shut down the Marlins' bats in a 1-0 shutout on Sunday afternoon to cap the Mets' 2018 season.

David Wright bounced up the steps in the moments after Saturday's game and with three simple words summed up the 17-year relationship between himself and his fans.

"This is love," he said, surrounded by about 44,000 friends, a lot of whom were holding back tears.

The night was supposed to be about us honoring Wright. It turned out to be just as much about our love and appreciation for him as it was about his love and appreciation for us and the countless people connected that helped him create a life he so cherishes.

One day after David Wright was given a special sendoff from the fans at Citi Field, Jose Reyes had a moment of his own in front of the home crowd.

Reyes started at shortstop and had one at-bat -- a groundout -- before he was replaced at shortstop by Amed Rosario in the top of the second inning. Reyes waved to the fans and gave one last curtain call.

Reyes, the franchise leader in stolen bases and triples, started alongside Wright on Saturday for the 878th time -- the most by any pair of teammates in Mets history. 

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

The only time I've cried about baseball as an adult was on a Saturday night earlier this month. A few days before, David Wright had sobbed through a news conference announcing that he was medically unable to play baseball. After a busy week, I finally had a few minutes to tell my wife about it.

She remembered me coming home from Shea Stadium in May of 2008, after my first assignment as an intern in the sports department at the New York Daily News. There were some tough old veterans on that Mets team, from Pedro Martinez to Carlos Delgado, and my stomach churned through the whole experience.

After the game, Adam Rubin, the beat writer for the News, introduced me to Wright. I was 27, Wright was 25, and he reminded me of a friend's amiable little brother. "Oh you're at the Daily News! Congratulations!" he said. He had an excitable manner that made him sound at times like he was chirping.

The Mets, who are searching for a new general manager, let down their fans - and not to mention Jacob deGrom - this season, which comes to an end Sunday afternoon.

COO Jeff Wilpon addressed the media before the Mets - Marlins matchup and expressed how "disappointed" they were with the results. 

"Even though the effort's there, the talent wasn't, and that's something the new GM's going to have to work on," Wilpon said.

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

As the buzz filled Citi Field on Saturday night with a sold out crowd of 43,928 on hand for what would have been an otherwise meaningless second-to-last game of the 2018 season for the Mets, some people started tweeting about how the atmosphere was like a strange cross between Opening Day and a playoff game. But that doesn't quite capture it. 

Because it was David Wright night, with the Mets captain preparing to take a bow after taking two at-bats, the game wasn't meaningless. And the atmosphere was like nothing ever felt before, because nothing like that had ever happened before at Citi Field -- or really for the Mets at all, going back to their days at Shea Stadium and the Polo Grounds.

With Wright slated to get those two at-bats before taking his position one last time and then being taken out of the game, the crowd knew what to expect. They knew how many ovations would be required.They knew they were there to say goodbye to someone who took his first at-bat for the team way back in 2004. 

Mets OF Yoenis Cespedes told reporters on Sunday that he will undergo his second heel surgery on Oct. 23.

Cespedes, whose season ended July 20, said he will be able to begin baseball activity in late February, but will not be able to run until a later date. There is no clear timetable for his return next season.

"I think it's unpredictable given what will happen and I can't say I will play x, y, z amount of games," Cespedes said via an interpreter.

The Mets and Marlins will wrap up the 2018 season on Sunday afternoon at 3:10 p.m. at Citi Field on SNY.

Mets notes

The Mets won via walk-off on Saturday night for the eighth time this season and won by a score of 1-0 for the first time since 2013 ... David Wright started on Saturday night for the first time since May 27, 2016 ... Austin Jackson's walk-off double marked his fourth career walk-off and his first since 2015... The Mets are 11-3-2 in their last 16 series ... Michael Conforto has hit 17 homers and has 52 RBI since the All-Star break.