Mets team president Sandy Alderson’s latest tenure with the team is still in its very early stages, as he said on Tuesday that he’s begun interviewing candidates to be the team’s next head of baseball operations
But it’s never too soon to get he hot stove burning.
Shortly after he and owner Steve Cohen’s introductory press conference, Alderson joined WFAN’s Carton & Roberts Show to talk all things Mets. As the questions about free agency arose, Alderson was asked specifically about Trevor Bauer, and whether or not the likely Cy Young winner’s personality would be a positive or a negative in the Mets’ clubhouse.
Alderson’s reply was overwhelmingly positive.
"This is an entertainment business. … We’ve got to be open-minded about how players express themselves. The thing that’s interesting about Bauer is he brings along with him a lot of ideas, a lot of routines, a sort of technical orientation that I bet we can learn from. If a guy can perform. It doesn’t really-- to me as long as it’s not disruptive in the clubhouse and basically if guys see someone performing, they’ll live with whatever the baggage is.
“I actually think Bauer would be a great personality in New York. I think he’s the kind of guy that fans would embrace.”
Alderson’s WFAN appearance also caught the eye of Bauer’s agent, Rachel Luba, who tweeted “Sandy Alderson gets it.”
Even Bauer himself chimed in, tweeting out a sarcastic reply to the idea that his personality could be negative.
"Nah...baseball isn’t entertainment. It’s boring and personality isn’t allowed," said Bauer. "And this Bauer guy is going to be terrible in the New York media. Big head case. Couldn’t handle it."
Luba, meanwhile, has also recently appeared on WFAN, sharing that she believes Bauer’s personality is a perfect fit for New York.
“He’s a fan of big markets, in terms of building his brand,” Luba said. “I think he’s made it very clear and he’s good at it. He’s good at finding creative ways to build a brand. He built a pretty incredible brand, especially over, I think, the last year, after being in … an entirely Ohio market. So, if you can build the brand that he has in an Ohio market, imagine what he can do in a bigger market.”