NEW YORK -- The Mets continued their infiltration of the Red Sox's front office on Friday, hiring away another top executive from the World Series champions. A week after bringing on longtime Sox executive Allard Baird to be an assistant general manager under Brodie Van Wagenen, the Mets named Jared Banner as their new farm director.
A Brooklyn native who reportedly grew up a Mets fan, Banner, 32, is an Amherst College graduate with more than a decade of experience in the Red Sox's front office. He has been in a player development role since 2009, overseeing the paths of Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Xander Bogaerts and others to the big leagues. He is also reportedly close to Baird.
"I'm excited to continue to invest in the front office with personnel that have a championship pedigree," Van Wagenen said in a statement released by the team. "We are looking to build the organization to achieve consistent success by incorporating new members and promoting from within."
The Mets also promoted director of player development Ian Levin to senior director, baseball operations. Levin and director of Minor League operations Ronny Reyes have overseen the development of Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Amed Rosario, among others.
Banner's hiring is the latest step in Van Wagenen's front-office overhaul. Since the former agent's hire, the team has brought in two new assistant GMs in Baird and analytics expert Adam Guttridge, as well as a new farm director in Banner. One top-ranking Mets executive, J.P. Ricciardi, is reportedly close to securing a similar position with the Giants, while another, Omar Minaya, is staying on staff. The Mets have been tight-lipped about the future of longtime assistant GM John Ricco, who remains on staff for now.