For a while early in the offseason, it appeared as though the Cubs had zeroed in on Jared Porter, their former director of professional scouting to fill their GM role. Porter had left Chicago following the 2016 season to join the Diamondbacks as an assistant GM under Mike Hazen, with whom he’d previously worked in Boston, and was widely considered a top executive in waiting.
Rather than return to his old stomping grounds, Porter ended up joining the Mets, ostensibly because new owner Steve Cohen looks like a free spender who’s interested in paying for a contender.