NEW YORK — Acting general manager Zack Scott will not return to the New York Mets after being placed on administrative leave following an arrest on drunken driving charges in August, according to multiple reports.
Scott’s dismissal is hardly a surprise after New York fell apart in the second half and missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season. President Sandy Alderson assumed GM duties with Scott on paid leave and already oversaw the firing of manager Luis Rojas. The Mets are trying to hire a president of baseball operations for the second straight offseason under owner Steve Cohen.
Scott was hired as the Mets’ assistant general manager last offseason to work under close friend and former colleague Jared Porter. Scott was promoted to acting GM in January after Porter was fired following revelations he sent sexually explicit text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 while working for the Chicago Cubs.
The Mets got off to a promising start and led the NL East for nearly three months until an August swoon dropped them under .500. They were in third place when Scott was arrested on a DWI charge at 4:15 a.m. on Aug. 31, hours after attending a fundraiser at Cohen’s house.
Scott pleaded not guilty to the DWI charge and three traffic violations. He’s set to stand trial in White Plains City Court in December.
Scott had spent the previous 17 seasons with Boston, where he worked alongside Porter under former Red Sox and Chicago Cubs baseball boss Theo Epstein.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.