It looks like Ben Cherington isn’t going anywhere
The New York Mets are looking for a new general manager and the Blue Jays have found themselves in the middle of the discussion. Both Mark Shapiro and Ben Cherington were rumoured to be under the Mets’ eye, though there was never any actual information about either of the Blue Jays executives being interested in jumping ship.
It seems that we can cross Cherington’s name off the list. Per Andy Martino of SNY…
Almost immediately after Sandy Alderson stepped aside as Mets GM in June, speculation began that former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington would become a leading candidate. But as the Mets begin their interview process, Cherington is not expected to be a part of it, according to major league sources.Cherington did not respond to a request for comment, and the Mets are not confirming or denying any names. People in the game who know Cherington say that he is happy in his job in the Toronto Blue Jays front office, and not eager to leave it.
Cherington was hired by the Blue Jays back in September 2016 to be the organization’s Vice President of Baseball Operations under Shapiro. He had worked with the Boston Red Sox from 1999 to 2016 serving as a scout, a baseball operations assistant, the coordinator of international scouting, assistant director (and then director) of player development, and general manager. He was a key part of part of Boston’s very, very good scouting and developmental system over the past decade-and-a-bit.
This obviously isn’t based on anything tangible, but it kind of seems that Cherington is in line to take on from Shapiro when he eventually moves on from the organization. There’s always been talk that Shapiro’s next step is Major League Baseball’s commissioner’s office and it almost seems inevitable that if that happens, Cherington would slide in and run the Blue Jays. Again, that’s baseless assumption.
Shapiro has also indicated his commitment to the Blue Jays amidst rumours that he could jump to join the Mets.
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