By WFAN.com
There's no denying the Mets are entering one of the team's most important offseasons in recent memory.
New York will be hiring a new head of baseball operations to succeed Sandy Alderson, and it will be up to this person to decide which direction the franchise will go in moving forward.
It appears as if the team is finally ready to begin its search, with reports out of Queens saying the Mets will officially begin the interview process next week.
The team is being extremely protective about the list of names coming in for the opening round of interviews, neither confirming or denying reports about any possible candidate.
>>MORE: Mets Expected To Interview Cardinals' LaRocque For GM Job
The Mets plan on releasing the names of those who are invited back for a second interview, but intend on keeping everything private until then.
Several names have been linked to the open position, including Cardinals director of player development Gary LaRocque, Brewers senior advisor Doug Melvin, and MLB senior vice president of baseball operations Kim NG.
Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said last week that current assistant general managers John Ricco, J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya will not be considered for the position.
Wilpon and Ricco will lead the initial round of interviews.
