Mets get brush off — again
LOS ANGELES — Add Mike Chernoff to the list of established baseball executives not interested in working for the Mets.
The Indians general manager has informed team officials of his intent to remain in Cleveland, according to an industry source, and not pursue the Mets’ opening for a head of baseball operations to replace Sandy Alderson.
The 37-year-old Chernoff, who grew up in New Jersey — his father, Mark, is in charge of WFAN’s programming — joins former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and Twins GM Thad Levine among potential candidates who have told the Mets they are not interested. And The Post’s Joel Sherman reported Sunday that Dodgers vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes also won’t interview with the Mets. Among the issues, according to sources, is the perception that team COO Jeff Wilpon will run the baseball operations department , wi t h the new hire as the real No. 2 in the organization. Wilpon is already on record as saying he would like the new GM or president of baseball operations to retain assistant GM John Ricco and special assistants Omar Minaya and J.P. Ricciardi.
Team owner Fred Wilpon’s preference, according to sources, is a candidate more versed in scouting and player development than analytics. As it stands, the Mets have one of baseball’s smallest analytics departments.
Known candidates at this point are Brewers senior adviser Doug Melvin, a former GM with the club; Cardinals director of player development Gary LaRocque; MLB executive Kim Ng; Nationals special assistant De Jon Watson and Rays senior vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.
The 66-year-old Melvin is believed within the industry to be a serious contender for the job and has told friends he feels invigorated by the possibility of returning to a GM role. Melvin has a long relationship with Minaya — the two worked together in Texas in the 1990s when Melvin was Rangers GM.
But the 65-year-old LaRocque has an advocate in former manager Terry Collins, who is serving the organization as a special assistant, from their time working together in the Dodgers farm system in the 1980s.
The 35-year-old Bloom is the youngest of the known candidates and is well-versed in analytics. Sources are skeptical Fred Wilpon would sign off on hiring Bloom, who has spent the last 14 years in the Rays front office.
Jeff Wilpon and Ricco have conducted the f irst-round interviews, which are scheduled to continue this week. Fred Wilpon will become involved for t he second round, according to sources.