Mets hire another former Dodgers employee to join the front office

Just over a month later appointing James Kang as their new director of international scoutingthe New York Mets have decided who will work most closely with him.

On Friday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that the Mets hired Laiky Uribe as their assistant director of international scouting. Uribe spent the last eight years with the Los Angeles Dodgers in various scouting roles.

The Mets are hiring Laiky Uribe as assistant director of international scouting, league sources tell The Athletic. Uribe worked as an international crosschecker for the Dodgers. He will join James Kang, recently added by Guardians as the Mets’ new director of international scouting.

— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) November 1, 2024

A native of the Bronx, Uribe played catcher for Odessa College and Galveston College in the early 2010s before beginning his professional career in August 2015 as a volunteer assistant in the St. Louis Cardinals’ international scouting department. He expressed his excitement about returning home to the Bronx. Big Apple in one post on Twitter/X:

I have been fortunate to work with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the past eight years, and I will be forever grateful to the organization and everyone I have worked with. Closing that chapter with a World Series victory was the perfect send-off. Now it’s time to head back to the Big Apple. Let’s go Mets!

— Laiky Uribe (@LaikyUribe) November 2, 2024

Before joining the Cleveland Guardians in December as a senior player acquisition scout, Kang and Uribe overlapped in the Dodgers organization for four years, both serving as international cross checkers the last three years.

During that time, the Dodgers secured numerous talented international players, including outfielder Josue De Paula (No. 2 in the league). The Dodgers farm system), shortstop Joendry Vargas (No. 7) and outfielder Eduardo Quintero (No. 9). Currently, Los Angeles boasts the fifth-best farm system in baseball MLB Pipelinewhile the Mets rank 13th.

Hiring former Dodgers employees has become a trend for the Mets since Steve Cohen purchased the team in the fall of 2020. Before Cohen’s first season as owner in 2021, the Mets hired Ben Zauzmer from the Dodgers to lead their analytics department, promoting him to assistant GM ahead of the 2022 season.

Four years ago, Cohen It was said that he modeled his organization as the East Coast version of the now World Series champion Dodgers. After a poor start to the 2024 season, the Mets far exceeded their low expectations and managed to reach the NLCS, pushing Los Angeles to six games before ultimately falling short.

New York has the financial flexibility to compete with any team, including the expensive Dodgers, who committed more than $1 billion to free agents last winter. However, what has set Los Angeles apart in recent years is its consistent ability to develop quality prospects, giving them an advantage in roster construction and successful trade talks.

By continuing to recruit key former Dodgers scouts, the Mets appear to be aiming to replicate their NL rival’s success in identifying and signing future stars in international free agency.