Mets hire Zack Scott as assistant GM

NEW YORK -- The Mets took another significant step toward filling out their baseball operations staff on Wednesday, hiring Zack Scott to be senior vice president and assistant general manager. Scott had been a finalist for the GM job that went to Jared Porter.

Like Porter, Scott is a member of Theo Epstein’s executive tree, as both joined the Red Sox organization in 2004. While Porter eventually followed Epstein to Chicago before moving on to an assistant GM job in Arizona, Scott remained in Boston for 17 seasons, winning three World Series titles. He became an assistant GM for the Red Sox in 2018.

“I want to thank Steve Cohen, Sandy Alderson and Jared Porter for this unique and exciting opportunity, as well as the leadership of the Red Sox for allowing me to pursue this new role with the Mets,” Scott said in a statement. “Being a part of the Mets' new culture and helping establish a consistent winner on the field that the Mets fan base deserves is something I will work towards tirelessly.”

Scott’s career arc parallels that of Porter. Both have New England roots, with Porter attending Bowdoin College in Maine and Scott graduating from the University of Vermont. They both began as interns with the Red Sox, working their way up the baseball operations ladder from there. In Porter’s case, he became the team’s assistant director of baseball operations, director of Major League operations and vice president of baseball research and development before earning an assistant GM role.

With the Mets, Scott will continue to draw upon his vast analytics and research experience.

“I’ve known Zack for over 15 years and worked with him daily for 10 of those years,” Porter said in a statement. “He’s a strong leader who is a very creative and dynamic thinker. Zack is well rounded in all areas of baseball operations and will promote synergy and collaboration among all of our departments with an emphasis on research and development.”

Scott’s hiring rounds out a front office that has undergone significant change in recent months. Following Steve Cohen’s purchase of the team, the Mets hired Sandy Alderson to be team president. Alderson, in turn, dismissed GM Brodie Van Wagenen and four of his prominent staff members, including assistant GMs Allard Baird and Adam Guttridge.

Porter came aboard earlier this month, joining a front-office crew led by Alderson. The Mets are also leaning on contributions from former interim GM John Ricco, who is serving Alderson in a hybrid baseball/business role, as well as longtime baseball operations stalwarts Ian Levin, Bryn Alderson and Tommy Tanous.