The New York Mets finished the 2019 season with a respectable 86-76 record and were in contention for a NL Wild Card spot until the final week of September.
It wasn't good enough - at least where Mickey Callaway was concerned.
With a year remaining on his contract, the Mets have kicked Callaway to the curb.
Pete Alonso's MLB rookie record of 53 home runs and a likely Cy Young campaign by Jacob de Grom did not compensate for a woeful bullpen which blew 28 saves in the eyes of Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen.
I suspect nothing short of a World Series trophy would have been enough. Callaway, after all, was hired by Van Wagenen's predecessor Sandy Alderson. After a 9-4 start, Callaway was in danger of losing his job by mid-May after an 11-21 stretch. Callaway was not Van Wagenen's man and Van Wagenen made sure that everyone else knew it. It did not help there were reports that Van Wagenen was making managerial decisions from the comfort of his home.
The Mets got much better after the All-Star Break. At one point, the team won 15 out of 16 games and had a 46-26 record in the second half and even managed to sweep the NL East champion Atlanta Braves in the final three games of the season including an extra innings, walk off home run from Dominic Smith on the final day of the season. Although the Mets season ended triumphantly, Callaway's future remained in doubt and the boom was lowered today.
Who the hell is going to want to manage the Mets? I'm sure the Mets are interested in Joe Maddon, but if Van Wagenen and Fred Wilpon are making out the lineup then Maddon will want no part of the situation. Will the Mets stay in house and offer the job to an experienced hand like bench coach Jim Riggleman or even pitching coach Phil Regan? Or will the Mets go outside the organization and hire someone with no managerial experience like Raul Ibanez? Or could they bring former Met Carlos Beltran back as their new skipper?
I suspect the Mets will hire someone outside the organization who is relatively unknown and someone grateful to take any big league managerial job even if it means their authority is limited. It could work wonders or it could mean the Mets take a big step backwards in 2020. If it is the latter, Mets fans might begin to look fondly at Mickey Callaway.
Under the circumstances, I don't think Callaway will get another chance to manage in the big leagues. He will probably return as a pitching coach, a role at which he excelled while with the Cleveland Indians. Or perhaps he will go the route of Terry Collins and manage in Japan and come back and manage the Mets to a NL pennant. Stranger things have happened. This is the Mets we are talking about after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment