Mets promote John Ricco to senior strategy officer

NEW YORK -- John Ricco is staying with the New York Mets and has been promoted to the new position of senior vice president and senior strategy officer.

Ricco, 50, will report to chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon -- a son of owner Fred Wilpon -- on business and finance projects. The Mets said Tuesday that Ricco will be involved in construction projects at the team's training camp in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and other minor league facilities. He also will remain responsible for oversight of baseball operations budget, major league payroll and salary arbitration.

Ricco joined the Mets from the commissioner's office in 2004 as assistant general manager under GM Omar Minaya and stayed on when Sandy Alderson replaced Minaya after the 2010 season.

Ricco was promoted to vice president in May 2009 and to senior vice president of baseball operations in December 2016. He was part of the trio along with Minaya and J.P. Ricciardi that ran the team's baseball operations after Alderson left last summer for health reasons.

Brodie Van Wagenen was hired as GM in October, and Ricciardi left the following month to join the San Francisco Giants.

Minaya remains as a special assistant to the GM, and the Mets added former Kansas City general manager Allard Baird as assistant general manager for scouting and player development, and Adam Guttridge as an assistant GM with expertise in analytics.