The New York Mets have added another familiar face to their front office, hiring Deron Johnson as a special assignment scout after his long run with the Minnesota Twins came to an end in September.
Johnson, who spent more than three decades in the Twins organization, was let go when Minnesota eliminated his senior advisor position, according to the Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale. His move to New York was reported by The Athletic's Will Sammon, and it reunites him with former Twins president Derek Falvey, now a senior adviser for baseball operations with the Mets under president of baseball operations David Stearns.
Johnson’s path through baseball stretches back well before his long tenure in Minnesota. He played three seasons of minor league ball, including time in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from 1988-90, and was an assistant coach at the University of San Francisco from 1992-93 before the Twins brought him aboard in 1994.
From there, he became a fixture in the organization. Johnson worked as a scout for Minnesota from 1994-2007, took over as the team’s scouting director in 2007, and later shifted into a senior advisory role after the 2016 season. He also served as the Twins’ advance scout for the playoffs from 2005-10.
Johnson landed quickly on his feet, a sign of how well regarded he is around the league. His exit from Minnesota was widely unpopular among Twins Territory, especially given how long he had been with the club. The move also came with a backdrop of expected front-office trimming ahead of a looming lockout, which likely factored into the Twins’ decision.
The Mets, meanwhile, are trying to sort out where they go from here. Owner Steve Cohen has shown he’s willing to spend big, and New York led MLB in 2026 payroll at $346,736,805, according to Spotrac. Even with that level of investment, the Mets finished last in the National League East at 74-88.
They were aggressive last offseason, too, trading for Freddy Peralta, Luis Robert Jr. and Marcus Semien, then signing Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco. Now the bigger question is what comes next: another spending spree, or a step back toward a mini-rebuild. The goal, of course, is getting back to the playoffs as soon as possible, but the source of the answer may end up telling you everything about how the Mets see their roster.
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