NEW YORK -- The Mets have entered a new phase of their organizational transition under owner Steve Cohen.

Sandy Alderson, who became team president shortly after Cohen’s purchase of the team in 2020, intends to vacate that position and become a special advisor to Cohen and the senior leadership team. Alderson will help conduct the search for a new team president before stepping aside.

“When I asked Sandy to come back to the team, it was for a defined period of time and with a specific mandate -- revive our culture and this iconic franchise for our fans, partners and employees,” Cohen said in a statement. “Sandy has done those very things and more, and we have begun a search for his successor.”

The move should not have much effect on baseball operations, as Alderson had already decreased his influence in such decisions over the past year. Instead, the new team president will oversee all aspects of the organization, reporting directly to Cohen.

Alderson, 74, originally came to the Mets as general manager following the 2010 season, eventually stepping down in July 2018 while battling cancer. The following January, Alderson announced that he was cancer-free. He spent more than two years away from the Mets before rejoining them at Cohen’s behest, in what was always intended to be a short-term role as the Mets transitioned to a new ownership group. But as off-field scandals resulted in the dismissal of multiple GMs, Alderson spent increasing time on baseball matters.

That began changing after the team hired Billy Eppler, who has become a stabilizing force in the GM chair. Although Mets officials have not revealed if Eppler will be their long-term head of baseball operations or if they intend to hire a president of baseball operations above him in the hierarchy, those decisions have little to do with the team president position.

“For me personally and for the organization, it’s the right time for this transition,” Alderson said in a statement. “We are having a successful season, we have made several key additions to our senior leadership team, and we have built a strong and forward-thinking culture. When the time comes, I am looking forward to continuing to support Steve, Alex and the organization in a new role.”

Under Alderson, the Mets have made multiple significant front-office hires, including Eppler as GM (following Jared Porter and Zack Scott), Andy Goldberg as executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Katie Pothier as executive vice president and chief legal officer and Nancy Elder as chief communications officer. The Mets also dismissed executives Holly Lindvall and David Cohen last June following a team investigation into workplace practices.

Alderson’s legacy with the Mets is twofold. During his first tenure from 2010-18, he oversaw one of the most significant rebuilds in franchise history, which culminated in the Mets winning the National League pennant in 2015. During his second stint beginning in 2020, Alderson oversaw the Mets’ ownership transition from the Wilpon family to Steve and Alex Cohen. As one of only seven team presidents in Mets history, Alderson is now about to usher in the eighth.

Before coming to the Mets, he spent 17 seasons in Oakland, winning three consecutive American League pennants and the 1989 World Series. Alderson left to join Major League Baseball’s front office for seven years, then became CEO of the Padres and then GM of the Mets. He is a decorated former Marine who fought in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Bronze Star.