Longtime Giants executive Brian Sabean reportedly is eyeing a new opportunity, and has his sights set on the Big Apple.
Sabean has interest in becoming the New York Mets' next vice president of baseball operations, The New York Daily News' Deesha Thosar reported Friday citing league sources.
"A source close to Sabean confirmed to the Daily News that he very much would like another challenge in his life. He’s going stir crazy in San Francisco with essentially nothing to do (in the role of a special assistant) with the Giants. But the real attraction for Sabean would be the fact that it’s New York and it’s the Mets, the source said. Unlike Billy Beane, who was reluctant to uplift his family and roots from the West Coast to New York City, the source close to Sabean said he would do it in a heartbeat if the Mets offered him the job," Thosar writes.
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Sabean was the Giants' general manager from 1997-2014, overseeing a roster that brought three championships to San Francisco. After the organization's most recent World Series title in 2014, Sabean was promoted to executive vice president of baseball operations, with Bobby Evans taking over as GM.
Sabean's front office bio on the Giants' website currently lists him as an Executive Vice President, "working on strategic initiatives as a senior advisor and evaluator."
One MLB executive Thosar spoke with had high praise for Sabean and believes he would be a home run hire for New York and recent new owner Steve Cohen.
“Sabean is the perfect guy,” a senior MLB executive told the News. “There’s this perception that no one wants to work for Cohen. But if Sandy brings Sabean to Cohen, the Mets would be hiring a Hall of Famer.”
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With Farhan Zaidi and Scott Harris now running things in the Giants' front office, perhaps Sabean is looking for a fresh chance to take the reins of an organization's player personnel decisions.
New York finished 77-85 last season, falling short of expectations after dealing for Francisco Lindor and signing him to a nine-figure offseason extension and acquiring Javier Baez at the trade deadline.
Sabean has been in the Bay Area with the Giants for a long time, but the prospect of rebuilding the Mets under the bright lights of New York likely would appeal to any successful baseball executive.
Thosar also speculates that Sabean potentially could bring former Giants manager Bruce Bochy out of retirement and across the country with him if he were brought on by Cohen. Bochy retired after the 2019 season, but has been rumored to be a candidate for the San Diego Padres' manager position after Jayce Tingler was let go at the end of the 2021 campaign.
With all the success the Giants experienced in the last decade, it's not surprising that other teams would be interested in the guy who was most responsible for building the rosters that captured those three World Series titles.
We will see if Sabean indeed is given the chance to take his talents East.