▪ Mets GM Jared Porter was fired for sending sexually explicit, uninvited text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016.
NEW YORK—Jared Porter went from rising star to unemployed — literally overnight.
Just more than a month after joining the New York Mets as general manager, Porter was fired Tuesday for sending sexually explicit, uninvited text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 when he was working in the front office of the Chicago Cubs.
ESPN reported late Monday that Porter sent dozens of unanswered texts to the woman, including a picture of “an erect, naked penis.” ESPN said it obtained a copy of the text history, and many of the messages and photos he sent were displayed in the report online.
About nine hours later, new Mets owner Steve Cohen posted on Twitter that Porter had been fired.
“We have terminated Jared Porter this morning,” Cohen wrote Tuesday. “In my initial press conference I spoke about the importance of integrity and I meant it.”
Approximately 30 minutes after that, the Mets released a statement from team president Sandy Alderson saying the move was effective immediately.
“Jared’s actions, as reflected by events disclosed last night, failed to meet the Mets’ standards for professionalism and personal conduct,” Alderson said.
New York hired the 41-yearold Porter last month. He agreed to a four-year contract after spending the past four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks as senior vice-president and assistant general manager.
It’s another embarrassing development for the Mets, who have energized fans by acquiring star shortstop Francisco Lindor and several other notable players since Cohen purchased the club from the Wilpon and Katz families for $2.42 billion (U.S.) in early November.
Last off-season, under previous GM Brodie Van Wagenen, the Mets hired former slugger Carlos Beltran as manager only to cut ties with him 2 ⁄ months 1
2 later when he was implicated in MLB’s investigation of illegal sign stealing by Houston while Beltran was an Astros player in 2017.