CLEVELAND, Ohio – It’s still unclear how Mike Chernoff told the Mets thanks, but no thanks. Chernoff won’t talk about it, but the fact that the Mets have changed course in building a new front office for owner Steve Cohen proves that they received the message.
Sandy Alderson, who rejoined the Mets to construct that front office, told reporters on Monday that he will take a more active role in the baseball operations and look to hire a younger GM who can grow with the organization.
What Alderson really wanted to do was hire one of baseball’s top minds from another team. He wanted someone experienced at running a ballclub with a record of success so he could make him the Mets’ front-office cornerstone. He found that job was more difficult than anticipated because teams are holding on to those people tighter than ever before because they can make a difference between winning and losing.
Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations, and Chernoff fit what Alderson wanted. So did several other executives from teams that Anderson targeted. Chernoff is starting his 18th season with the Indians, Antonetti his 23rd. This will be their sixth season together as the team’s two top baseball decision makers since Chernoff was named general manager in 2015.
For Antonetti to take the job it would have been a lateral move. It would have been out of character as well. He has a deep commitment to the Indians.
Chernoff, however, could have gone from GM to president of baseball operations. The New Jersey native would have been going home, but more importantly he would have been the buck-stops-here guy, the last step on every baseball decision before ownership approval.
They have each had many chances to leave Cleveland before the Mets reached out, and they will have more in the future. When you’re good at your job that’s what happens.
Here’s why Chernoff said no.
* He likes how he fits with the Indians. He has a seat at the table with Antonetti, manager Terry Francona and the rest of the front office on every baseball decision that is made.
* It is a stable organization, a good place to work and a hard place to leave. Paul Dolan and his father Larry have owned the club since late in 1999. They represent the longest ownership entity in franchise history and they let their baseball people do their job.
* He does not have to wonder what it’s like to be the No.1 baseball guy because Antonetti challenges him at every turn, pushing him to be better.
* Everyone has a chance to voice their opinion when a question about contracts, arbitration or player acquisitions arrive. There is disagreement, but the power plays and in-fighting seen in some organizations is not seen in Cleveland.
Cohen, the Mets owner, is worth $14 billion. Chernoff could have spent and spent and spent some more. The Indians, who are always on an austerity program, have never been more financially strapped than now after the pandemic and shortened season cost them “tens of millions,” according to Antonetti.
But they seem to find a way. They’ve produced eight straight winning seasons. They’ve been to the postseason four times in the last five years. The run includes three straight AL Central titles and one AL pennant.
This year, two of their homegrown players were recognized as the best in baseball. Shane Bieber won the AL Cy Young award and Jose Ramirez was second in the AL MVP voting. Their financial condition means they almost certainly will trade four-time All-Star Francisco Lindor before opening day in 2021, but even without the pandemic Lindor was not going to be in Cleveland beyond his required six years of service time. The two parties have been marking time since he turned down what was believed to be a $100 million contract in 2017.
Lots of baseball executives talk about culture. It is a vague, slippery term, but this may be an example of it.
In the just-completed 60-game sprint, the Indians lost their manager, bench coach and hitting coach to illness and the pandemic. They seamlessly shuffled the coaching staff with Sandy Alomar taking over as manager. When two of their best pitchers broke curfew in August, the front office acted quickly in handling it. Some teams may have kept such an infraction in-house, but the Indians made it public to show their players and opponents that they were serious about the MLB-wide safety protocols necessary to complete the season.
They went through an eight-game losing steak in September that threatened their postseason chances before winning nine of their last 11 to clinch homefield advantage in the wild card round. They did that despite a badly-balanced team, featuring good pitching and one of the most ineffective offenses in the game. Yes, they were swept in the wild-card round by the Yankees, but it took a lot to get to that point.
Add all that to the list of why Chernoff stayed.
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