Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets have made two significant additions to their front office, with former manager Andy Green taking a role to run player development and Kris Gross as the VP of amateur scouting.
The Mets have hired former Cubs bench coach Andy Green to a senior role for player development, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Green went to the University of Kentucky and was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 24th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft. He bounced between the minors and the majors, had a one-year stint in Japan, and then finished his career as a Met in 2009.
Since 2011, Green has been a coach in the majors. He once again worked his way through the minors, this time as a manager, and won back-to-back Southern League Manager of the Year awards in 2013 and 2014.
Green was rewarded for his success. He was named the Padres manager before the start of the 2016 season. Unfortunately, Green oversaw rebuilding Padres teams and lasted as the Padres manager from 2016 to 2019, where he compiled a 274-366 record.
After being fired in 2019, Green was hired by the Cubs as a bench coach before the 2020 season. He stayed in that position until he was let go this offseason. Before his hiring, Green was also getting interviewed by the Guardians for another position.
The Mets have tabbed Kris Gross, the current scouting director for the Houston Astros, as their new vice president of amateur scouting, according to Joe Doyle. Gross has spent the last twelve seasons working in Houston, including the previous five as their scouting director.
In his twelve years in Houston, Gross worked first as a regional cross-checker, then a national cross-checker, and eventually his most recent role as scouting director. Gross broke into baseball in 2009 as a regional scout for the Cardinals. Gross worked with the new Mets president of baseball operations for three years from the fall of 2012 through the fall of 2015, before Stearns left the Astros for the Brewers.
In his time in Houston, the Astros have drafted and developed several all-stars. However, specifically in his time as scouting director, the Astros have drafted: Hunter Brown, Colin Barber, Spencer Arrighetti, Jacob Melton, Brice Matthews, and current Mets prospects Drew Gilbert, and Ryan Clifford.
Gross will slot into a Mets’ scouting department that has undergone significant changes over the last few years. Marc Tramuta left the Mets to return to the Blue Jays earlier in the winter. Former scout Chad MacDonald, who personally scouted and drafted Brandon Nimmo, departed the team for personal reasons, along with three veteran scouts who were let go of by Stearns.
Gross and Green are the first major front office hires by Stearns.
