The Mets hired manager Mickey Callaway in October 2017 with the hope that he’d immediately help the franchise rebound from an awful final season under predecessor Terry Collins. Nearly a season and a half later, the Mets are still waiting for Callaway’s tenure to yield positive results, and it seems they’re running out of patience with the former Indians pitching coach. Callaway will manage the Mets on Sunday, but the ax could fall on the 44-year-old after that, per reports from Joel Sherman of the New York Post, fellow Post scribe Mike Puma, and Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports.
Callaway’s seat looks particularly hot in the wake of yet another listless Mets performance Saturday, when they mustered just one hit in a 2-0 loss to the lowly Marlins. They’re guaranteed a series loss in Miami, having dropped the opener Friday, and now own a 20-24 record on the season and a 97-109 mark since hiring Callaway. Moreover, the Mets have fallen in four of seven games to a pair of struggling teams (the Nationals and Marlins) since COO Jeff Wilpon met with Callaway and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen on May 10. At that point, Wilpon reportedly let his two underlings know that the Mets’ performance wasn’t acceptable.
If Wilpon was fed up eight days ago, then he may be livid now, which could hasten a decision on Callaway. In the event Callaway does go, bench coach Jim Riggleman – an experienced manager who was the Reds’ interim skipper for most of 2018 – as well as quality control coach Luis Rojas could be names to watch, Puma relays. On the other hand, though, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal says (video link) the Mets might go outside for their next manager, listing Joe Girardi, Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker as out-of-work dugout chiefs with terrific resumes. Rosenthal notes it’s up in their whether the Mets would be willing to pay any of those guys in addition to Callaway, though Puma points out they’d be eating a relatively small sum in firing him. With an annual salary of $850K, Callaway is among the majors’ lowest-paid managers.
So far, the beleaguered Wilpons have gotten the type of basement-level results commensurate with Callaway’s salary, though that’s not to suggest he’s the lone source of blame for this mess. Van Wagenen’s aggressive offseason maneuverings haven’t really panned out to this point, and a neglect of pitching depth has helped doom the club. Second baseman Robinson Cano, relievers Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson, and catcher Wilson Ramos – all expensive additions – have each struggled. Meanwhile, $20MM infield signing Jed Lowrie hasn’t been healthy enough to debut, and center fielder Keon Broxton is now in DFA limbo after bombing over 53 plate appearances.
While other winter pickups Edwin Diaz and J.D. Davis have done their part, neither their quality performances nor the presences of Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Seth Lugo or Robert Gsellman – all inherited by Van Wagenen – have been enough to pull the Mets from the doldrums. Now, with the team in dire need of a quick turnaround, Van Wagenen’s solution may be to throw Callaway overboard. Van Wagenen did not hire Callaway, whom previous GM Sandy Alderson put in place, which may make it easier for BVW to go in another direction.
thorshair
Adios Mickey u won’t be missed
imgman09
Hate to break it to ya,your not very good,it not the Manager lol
a1544
Bring back Bobby V
mets1536
Would Love to see that. … ‘THIS Team NEEDS A GOOD KICK IN THE ASS
jaysfan1994
Boston treated Bobby Valentine with love, I’ll never forget the players going out of their way to tell management to fire him.
dugdog83
Bobby V is still in the dugout wearing a disguise
nymetsking
He’s moved past mustaches. Now he’s bird flipping Mr. Met.
petrie000
I mean, if you’re gonna be a laughing stock team, may as well have a true clown in the dugout…
VonPurpleHayes
Where is Brodie? He was everywhere before the season started, talking about how the Mets wete going to takr the division. Now he is nowhere to be seen. I’m sure firing Callaway will solve everything.
It’s a long season. The Mets can easily get hot at some point, but I don’t really see Callaway as being the problem here. Perhaps he is a bit too reliant on analytics, but most managers seem to be these days.
ExileInLA 2
Mickey wasn’t responsible for deGrom giving up 7 runs to the Marlins…
petrie000
I mean, his backround is as a pitching coach… If he can’t prevent such things, why is he there?
kahnkobra
Eiland is the pitching coach
WalkerTexasBuehler
So far, the beleaguered Wilpons have gotten the type of basement-level results commensurate with Callaway’s salary
So a higher paid manager equals more wins. Got it. That’s the lamest rationale since people believing higher payrolls somehow equate to more wins.
Also an 850k salary is basement level? Only in pro sports maybe. He makes more than a lot of players. Not superstars, but players.
Boogaloo
Maybe they should fire the guy who brought in Cano, Ramos, Lowrie, Broxton, Famila, wilson and refused to sign gio gonzalez, twice.
Its almost like they hired a guy with no front office experience in MLB.
The beat goes on for the Mutts.
SonnySteele
The Mets are fun to keep track of even when they are losing. Possibly especially when they are losing.
That said, I hope Jim Riggleman gets a chance at managing the Mets if Callaway is jettisoned. I have liked him since he managed the Nationals and wanted him to get the “permanent” manager’s job in Cincinnati.
frank_costanza
The Nats made a mistake letting him walk and have deservedly underachieved without him. He was trending in the right direction.
Ctrl alt dlt
they played well under dusty
frank_costanza
Not nearly as well as they should have. Dusty had World Series caliber rosters.
kahnkobra
he quit on the Nats, no thanks
nymetsking
Please, not Dusty. The pitchers get hurt enough as it is.
thebluemeanie
Great, send him back to Cleveland. We’d love to have him back!
sufferforsnakes
Yeppers! Never was a fan of Carl Willis.
sufferforsnakes
……Van Wagenen’s solution may be to throw Callaway overboard.
More like under the bus. Blaming Callaway for what’s happened is overlooking the entire picture.
DDD09
Wally Backman must be the guy to come in here and rock the team’s foundation.
SonnySteele
Backman would probably be more popular with Mets fans than any other possible replacement for Callaway.
RogerDorn24
It would serve the Mets well to get a veteran manager. Rookie managers/head coaches do not tend to succeed in NY sports (so far Boone is the exception). Seeing as how BVW represents a large # of Mets, im sure they complained in private and told him before he even became the GM how much of a bonehead Mickey is. Callaway should have been left in 2018, and of course everyone saw this coming except the ones in charge making the calls.
frank_costanza
I don’t know what they want him to do. This team had unrealistic expectations. The roster is poorly constructed. And the pieces that they do have have been inconsistent or injury prone throughout their short careers to this point. I don’t understand why so many experts thought they were going to be good this year. The NL is stacked this year and their roster is nowhere near good enough to compete.
njbirdsfan
I like the Mets, but…
They don’t want to spend like the biggest clubs and refuse to ever tear it down and rebuild properly (and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind saving some $)
So they’re right in the middle as usual, wasting time and being schedule filler.
chuck123
They took big risks with their off season moves instead of rebuilding. Those moves have not panned out. Why would replacing the manager help that. Wilpon’s are the ones that should be replaced for ruining the franchise
Melchez
Put cano back on the juice. Who thought he’d be better off of it?
jvent
Wasn’t crazy about the Cano/Diaz deal because now the Mets are stuck with Cano for the remainder of this and another 4 years. Unless the Mets could package Cano with maybe Syndergaard ,since it doesn’t look like their winning this year.
stgpd
He can sit back and live off his profits form those expensive golf clubs with his name on them
tank62
But the Mets are taking over New York city right?
Hilarious
This clown can’t keep them batting in order.
Bklyn179
Here we go again same old song same old dance
Yankeepatriot
When you look at the Mets off season carefully besides acquiring diaz they didn’t get any impact players. They got a good deal for ramos (who hasn’t looked really good l) and a almost 40 year old cano along with tons of small spare parts
On a side note should they have flipped degrom ? There was no way he was onna replicate last season and so far he hasn’t and probably won’t
king beas
Cut Paul seawald please. Guys been awful for 3 years now no need to keep giving him opportunities
sureshotschmitty
Can’t fire the team
Just another year, another train wreck
Smh
bigwestbaseball
Up in the air……..spell check. Lol.
of9376
BVW is more to blame than Mickey IMO. Mickey inherited a sh^t team last year and BVW hasn’t given him much of an upgrade this year.
Zero pitching depth, old position players with declining skills, and terrible trades within the minors have doomed this team. They will have to sell big at the deadline.
carlos15
Good this guy sucks
Bklyn179
OMG Another shutout by the Marlins
377194
Swept by the Marlins. He’s gone.
sureshotschmitty
Now he’s toast for sure
findingnimmo
Not fully fair to put it all on Mickey, but the guy hasn’t helped himself at all and I personally think he was/is a waste and a failed experiment. Not benching cano, not demoting nimmo, not playing Nido with degrom, and destroying the bullpen last year. No good. Move on now from him, limit the distraction, and make some changes
lapmando
Wally, Wally, Wally….
David Stearns
FIRE MICKEY AND HIRE WALLY BACKMAN.I strongly recommend that the Mets go with Wally Backman, he was meant to beat Terry collins for the job and he has been successful with every Minor League team he has coached., Most of the mets current staff was trained by him in AAA, they will work hard for him and he will bring out the best in him, old school fans will also buy more tickets to see Backman. SNY Ratings will also go up
findingnimmo
Isn’t there a reason why no team has made him manager? What’s with the obsession with the Wally for manager push? And just curious, would anyone buy a ticket to see a manager sit in a dugout? Not trying to destroy your post, but coming to see a manager is not something I see myself doing.
banditelvis721
LET HIM GO!!!!, Girardi, sholwalter, scioscia, bring in a real name!!!, get rid of the pitching coach too!!.
keep chili davis!!
we need wins in a hurry!!!
Bklyn179
No new manager can change this team they put the team together with Coupons but they didn’t realize the Coupons were expired