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Cards exec LaRocque to interview for Mets GM job, Cherington out
The Mets will have a former member of the organization receiving an interview for their general manager’s vacancy, but a World Series winner is taking a pass.
Gary LaRocque, the Cardinals’ director of player development, has an interview with the Mets in place, according to an industry source. The 65year-old LaRocque previously served as Mets scouting director in the early 2000s, in addition to other roles in the organization. The Post first mentioned LaRocque as a candidate in August.
An industry source confirmed an SNY report that former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington has withdrawn his name from consideration. Cherington, who is working in Toronto’s front office, was GM when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2013.
Cherington’s withdraw from the mix could send a signal that top executives are wary of working for the Mets because of a management structure in which team COO Jeff Wilpon is heavily involved. Plus, there is a perception within the industry that the new head of baseball operations will not be allowed to pick his or her own staff, despite Wilpon’s recent claim that assistant GM John Ricco and special assistants Omar Minaya and J.P. Ricciardi can be replaced if the new head of baseball operations so chooses.
LaRocque is the second known official candidate for the job. As The Post first reported on Wednesday, former Rangers and Brewers GM Doug Melvin has an interview in place.
“[LaRocque] is a people person with a scouting background,” said a person with ties to the Mets. “He gets the numbers and knows the organization and [owner] Fred Wilpon likes him.”
Both LaRocque and the 66-year-old Melvin are oldschool baseball executives who could appeal to the elder Wilpon, who sources said is concerned the Mets have become too analytically driven in recent years. Two of Wilpon’s top advisers, Minaya and Terry Collins, are veteran baseball men with backgrounds in scouting and player development.
But the Mets are also expected to interview younger, analytically driven candidates. The list of possibilities includes names such as Diamondbacks assistant GM Jared Porter, Astros assistant GM Mike Elias and MLB executive Kim Ng.
The first round of interviews is expected to be conducted next week by Jeff Wilpon and Ricco. The Mets are searching for a replacement for Sandy Alderson, who stepped aside in June to battle his recurrence of cancer.
Fred Wilpon is not expected to join the interview process until the Mets have a list of finalists.