There's some sad news in New York on Friday. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson has been diagnosed with cancer and will miss the upcoming MLB Winter Meetings, according to team owner Jeff Wilpon.
Alderson, 68, is said to have a "treatable" form of cancer, but the type has yet to be disclosed. It's been a bizarre offseason for Alderson, who fainted at a news conference in early November and then underwent an undisclosed medical procedure, which caused him to miss the annual general managers meetings.
"Surgery was performed at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York and as a result of that procedure, the doctors confirmed that Sandy has cancer," Wilpon said, via Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. "The doctors believe and have told Sandy that the cancer is very treatable and are optimistic about a full recovery."
He'll now reportedly undergo 8-12 weeks of chemotherapy, beginning this week, after one of his most successful season as a general manager. He'll still be capable of performing his duties as GM, but assistant GM John Ricco will likely take his spot at the Winter Meetings, as he did at the GM Meetings.
"In the meantime, Sandy's team and I will be coordinating closely with him and keeping him up to date on all baseball matters," Wilpon said in the statement, via Matthew Oshinsky of the Wall Street Journal.
Alderson has been the architect of this current Mets team since he was hired after the 2010 season. The NL East champs finished 90-72 and enjoyed its most successful season under the GM as well as its best since 2006, which was the last time they had at least 90 wins and won the NL East.
New York also reached the World Series for the first time since 2000, but fell to the Kansas City Royals in five games. The Mets have a lot to look forward to in the future, but for now here's to a speedy and successful recovery for Alderson.