There are a number of indications the Mets General Manager search is a complete and utter farce.  The fact the team knew of this opening in June and has just now even contemplated conducting a search was a big indicator.  However, there are even bigger signs beyond that, and they are just now coming to the surface.Perhaps the biggest indication come from Jon Heyman, who recently reported for Fancred:

There’s a split on Mickey Callaway within the Mets’ front office, so expect him to have a short leash in 2019. The Mets have consistently said Callaway will return to manage next year even before hiring a GM. However, some within the Mets’ hierarchy see it as a work in progress that may not work out.

Think about it for a second.  The Mets have no hired a new GM to replace Sandy Alderson.  Presumably, when you hire that GM, you are going to permit him to actually build a front office.  Maybe that includes John Ricco and Omar Minaya, who Jeff Wilpon reportedly wants to keep, and maybe it doesn’t.  The point is the people who are there now should be there on an interim basis until such time as the new GM constructs his new front office.

And yet, reports are there’s a split on the manager in the front office, which is s clear indication the new GM will be brought in to execute a plan instead of creating one of his or her own.  Other news reports bear this out.

Mike Chernoff, who has the opportunity to return home and get somewhat of a soft hand from the press with his dad being station director at WFAN, has declined the Mets job.  Others who have declined include Twins GM Thad Levine, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Josh Byrnes, and Blue Jays Vice President of Baseball Operations Ben Cherington.  There are likley more names which have not been reported.

As Mike Puma of the New York Post reports, there “is the perception that team COO Jeff Wilpon will run the baseball operations department, with the new hire as the real No. 2 in the organization.”

There are other reports Jeff Wilpon blatantly lied about how the team operates according to the recommendations of the General Manager.  In fact, Tim Healey of Newsday reported not just how this is untrue, but also how it has led to the organization bleeding talented people.  As Healey reports, “Multiple sources disputed Wilpon’s statement, saying ownership denied repeated requests in recent years from Alderson’s baseball operations department to add to the analytics staff.”

What is downright absurd about Healey’s report is Omar Minaya “badly wanted” to keep now Brewers GM David Stearns once his internship ended.  The Wilpons did not approve the extra headcount, and Stearns, someone who grew up a Mets fans, went to Milwaukee.  Now, Stearns has built the Brewers into a World Series contender while the Wilpons are interested in the man he replaced.

This whole search is a joke, and in the end, it’s not going to be about who can do the best job, but who can carry out Jeff Wilpon’s plans.  That’s not a search for a GM.  It’s a search for a figurehead.  This is a farce.