The New York Mets' search for a permanent replacement for general manager Sandy Alderson could turn north of the border.

The New York Post's Joel Sherman reports that the Mets could be interested in Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro in a president of baseball operations role and with the Jays' vice-president of baseball operations, Ben Cherington, also potentially coming aboard as general manager.

Alderson, 70, announced a recurrence of his cancer in late June and stepped away from the team. He is not expected to return to the club. The trio of former GM Omar Minaya, former Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi and John Ricco make up the triumverate currently running the club in Alderson's stead.

Sherman stresses that the search remains in early days with the Mets not yet asking for permission to speak with a lengthy list of potential candidates, most of whom are currently under contract with another club.

Shapiro joined the Jays in 2015 after two decades in the Cleveland front office that saw the native of Cambridge, Mass., work his way up to GM and then president at the time of his departure. He has two years at $4 million per remaining on his Jays contract.

After joining the Boston Red Sox in 2005, Cherington became the team's GM in 2011 and helped lead the team to the 2013 World Series. The 44-year-old native of Meriden, N.H., resigned from the Red Sox in 2015 and joined the Jays' front office in 2016.

Sherman notes that the Mets might be reticent to offer enough compensation to land an executive of Shapiro's stature, while the likes of the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants could become suitors for the potentially in-demand Cherington.

Among those who could also be of interest to the Mets, Sherman reports, include Chicago Cubs GM Jed Hoyer, David Stearns of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland's Mike Chernoff.