GM Sandy Alderson Agrees to Contract Extension with Mets; Terms Undisclosed

The New York Mets announced Wednesday that Sandy Alderson will return for his eighth season as the team's general manager after the two sides agreed to a contract extension. 

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.     

Alderson's return in 2018 had been expected since the end of the 2017 season. Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reported Sept. 22 that the Mets already decided to bring him back. 

Last season was a mess for the Mets. Their 70-92 record was their worst since they posted an identical mark in 2009. Their disabled list often looked better than the starting lineup: Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler all missed significant time.

Despite the team's many injuries, Alderson didn't want them to be an excuse for why things fell apart.

"The injuries need to be taken into account, but I don't think they can be an excuse for not doing a thorough examination of all the other aspects of the season," he said, per Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. "... It's not going to happen just at the end of the season. It's been an ongoing review."

The Mets hired Alderson to be their general manager in October 2010. He took over a franchise in disarray during the final years of Omar Minaya's tenure, including four straight seasons of missing the playoffs from 2007 to 2010. 

In his early days with the Mets, Alderson was forced to operate under some financial restrictions after owner Fred Wilpon lost $178 million as part of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. 

Per Cot's Baseball Contracts, the Mets went three straight seasons with a payroll under $100 million from 2012 to 2014. It was the first time they had done so since 2000-02.

Alderson did play a key role in building the roster to help the Mets reach the World Series in 2015 and make the postseason as a wild card in 2016, including acquiring right-handed ace Syndergaard in 2012—when he was still in Low-A—and Cespedes in a midseason deal with the Detroit Tigers in 2015. 

If the Mets can keep their key players healthy in 2018, the roster has the potential to bounce back in a big way.

"I feel that we have some unfinished business," Alderson said, according to Wednesday's press release. "Spring training is around the corner, and our quest to return to the postseason will continue."