Report: Mets Choosing Between Bloom, Van Wagenen For GM Job

Fred Wilpon
Photo credit USA TODAY Images
By WFAN.com

Winter is coming, and it will be a crucial one for the Mets. The team needs to rebound from a second consecutive fourth-place finish in the NL East, and that rebound has to start off the diamond.

That rebound will probably be more like a rebuild, but for the new beginning to really begin, they need to hire a general manager to be in charge of all the change and upheaval. That hiring process seems to be nearing its end. According to a report from WFAN baseball insider Jon Heyman, the club has narrowed its GM search to Chaim Bloom and Brodie Van Wagenen.

Sources: mets gm down to Brodie Van Wagenen and Chaim bloom

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 25, 2018

Doug Melvin had interviewed for the job, but this means he is no longer being considered. The 66-year-old former Brewers and Rangers GM was considered to be an "old school" candidate.

Bloom is the "new school" candidate both figuratively and literally. At 35 years old, the Tampa Bay Rays' senior vice president of baseball operations is not very senior at all. Earlier on Thursday he released a brief statement about his meeting with the Mets.

"We had a productive meeting yesterday," said Bloom. "There was a lot of baseball conversation, and I enjoyed the time we spent together."

First hired as an intern, Bloom has been with Tampa Bay for 14 years and was promoted to VP of baseball operations in November 2016. The Yale graduate, along with GM Erik Neander, oversee all functions within baseball operations. The Rays are coming off a surprising 90-72 season.

MORE: Keidel: It Might Not Be In Mets' Culture To Nail This GM Hire

Van Wagenen, the co-head of the CAA agency's baseball division, is the outside-the-box candidate. He released a lengthy statement Monday about his interview with the Mets.

The Mets are hoping to have a new general manager in place well before Major League Baseball's winter meetings start in Las Vegas on Dec. 9.