The Mets announced Thursday that they have fired manager Mickey Callaway. The decision comes two-thirds of the way through a three-year deal for the former Indians pitching coach, who compiled a 163-161 record in his two seasons as the Mets’ skipper.
“We want to thank Mickey for his consistent work ethic and dedication over the last two seasons and I’m certain these characteristics will serve him well in his next opportunity,” Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in a statement accompanying today’s press release. “A decision like this is never easy, however, we believe it is in the best interest of the franchise at this time.”
Callaway’s departure from the Mets creates a seventh managerial vacancy throughout the league, as two managers (Kansas City’s Ned Yost and San Francisco’s Bruce Bochy) have opted to retire while Callaway joins Brad Ausmus (Angels), Andy Green (Padres) and Clint Hurdle (Pirates) as managers who were fired despite having time left on their current contracts. The Cubs, meanwhile, opted not to re-sign Joe Maddon after the expiration of his contract.
Generally speaking, the Mets have underperformed in each of the past two seasons, although injuries and roster construction missteps by a pair of different front-office regimes have obviously contributed to the team’s consecutive playoff misses. The 2019 season proved to be particularly tumultuous, as the team got out to an awful start and found itself 10 games under .500 at the time of the All-Star break. A torrid run to open the second half thrust the Mets back into the Wild Card mix, however, and although a Cinderella second half didn’t prove to be in the cards, the Mets improbably finished the season ten games above the .500 mark — good for third place in the division.
Along the way, however, there was no shortage of discord. Stories about Noah Syndergaard’s preference to pitch to Tomas Nido leaked out into the public eye, while Callaway made numerous conflicting statements about usage restrictions on embattled closer Edwin Diaz. Callaway himself came into a particularly negative spotlight for cursing out a reporter in the clubhouse and subsequently refusing to apologize for his actions the next day — only to then seemingly be forced into doing so by the organization a short time later. Former Mets left-hander Jason Vargas had to be physically restrained during that particular altercation, and the entire incident obviously did not sit well with Mets’ higher-ups.
Of course, things aren’t always as they seem in the public eye, either. The New York Post’s Mike Puma reports, for instance, that Callaway’s early insistence on saving Diaz for the ninth inning and refusing to use him for more than three outs was a “direct order” from COO Jeff Wilpon. But, Puma also details some player feelings on Callaway’s communication skills and his lack of hands-on instruction with the pitching staff (despite a half decade building a reputation as one of the game’s better pitching coaches in Cleveland).
Regardless of one’s thoughts on Callaway and whether he deserved to stay or go, it’s become increasingly difficult to ignore the near-constant state of turmoil surrounding the Mets as an organization in recent years. From myriad reports about the Wilpon family’s habitual involvement in nearly every aspect of the club (e.g. Diaz’s usage) to the repeated vague and conflicting medical updates provided under former manager Terry Collins, to the aforementioned Vargas debacle this past summer, a general sense of chaos seems to permeate the organization each year. While one could argue that a strong, veteran voice is needed to command the respect of both the clubhouse and ownership, it’s also fair to wonder whether some seasoned managers would prefer not to be caught up with the drama.
Wilford Brimley
What a tragedy. Such a young manager with his whole life ahead of him, and now this.
rayrayner
BVW scanned MLBTR comments before making his decision.
It’s all our fault.
Wilford Brimley
You sir are correct. The poll results made Brody McBroseph’s decision an easy one; honestly I think he was torn until he saw the poll results. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to have trouble sleeping because of this.
mlbtraderumors.com/2019/09/poll-should-the-mets-re…
rayrayner
I think I’m gonna like you, Wilford.
Dotnet22
No need. The Dia-Beet-Us will take him sooner or later.
pappyvw
You shocked me by being so evil in the movie, The Firm. I prefer the you who advises us regarding die-uh-beet-us …
Bill
Yeah, it sucks to get paid for a year of not having to work. I’m sure he’ll get another job. If not as manager then as pitching coach.
CrewBrew
LMAOOOO
dray16
Josh Hader sucks
brewcrewbernie
Better than Kimbrel and a lot cheaper
mike127
I am pretty sure that the Brewers goal on October 3 was not to claim that Hader was better and cheaper than Kimbrel. I’m fairly certain though that they were both significantly responsible for sending their teams home earlier than wanted. What disasters! Both of them.
Sid Bream
Yeah, asking him to get 2 innings 6 out saves all the time for most of the season didn’t affect him at all…….
axisofhonor25
Syndergaard breathes sigh of relief
Slipknot37
Surprised it took so long
CharlieH
Word is that since Rosh Hashana was Monday, they couldn’t have organizational meetings until Tuesday/Wednesday.
jdan74
Sounds kosher.
dimitrila
Seems like a preemptive firing by the GM; he’s the one who should go.
Vandals Took The Handles
It was funny watching Mickey at pressers after a game, explaining why he made screwball moves…..
He stood up there double-talking trying to explain the logic.
Fairly quickly it became obvious that he was being told how to run each game…..by a GM that had NO experience in professional baseball other then to negotiate contracts.
Whereas Mickey had no managerial experience, he was an extremely successful pitching coach in Cleveland – and a large reason why that organization became pitching rich when he showed up, and is still pitching rich. He didn’t suddenly not know how to handle pitchers and make the transition to handling position players as well.
I wonder how long a credentialed MLB ex-manager – Scocia, Buck, Gerardi, Maddon, etc. – will be able to hold it in if the Mets hire them. It’s one thing to partner with a skilled GM, yet another to have to train a GM that has no clue what goes on on the field. Many teams have a similar problems…..start with the Phillies and Padres.
DarkSide830
im really worried that Kapler might be the only manager not fired at this rate
metvibes
No way Kaplar stays after the Mets can Callaway.
HartnellDown
Agreed. This might speed up the announcement
nymetsking
Worry not. Pretty sure most of the playoff managers are safe.
MarlinsFanBase
Don Mattingly got an extension.
bucnole31658
Kapler isn’t getting fired
ASapsFables
The Phillies front office is waiting until the conclusion of the high holidays to find out if the baseball gods have inscribed Gabe Kapler into the managers book of life for the coming year…or that dreaded other one!
wordonthestreet
Girardi to the Mets? Maddon?
nymetsking
Please God, no Madden.
bluemarc
no Maddon he just won the world series a couple years ago,Mets stink
mike127
@ bluemarc—–he said “Madden”—he’s a football coach–of course they wouldn’t want him. “Maddon” is the guy that won the World Series, you are correct. The “e” and the “o” are nowhere near each other on the keyboard. To continually mess up the football coach with the baseball manager is pure laziness and ignorance.
22Leo
Get a rope!
clepto
Nice dig. Keep up the good work!
pd14athletics
Seriously, so maddoning!
bucnole31658
Yeah the Mets can’t higher Maddon he’s a winner
stan lee the manly
We’ve got the guy above complaining about switching one letter in a managers name and then bucnole goes big and replaces “hire” with “higher”, I love it.
Sue_See_Yo
Give ’em a chance to make him into a loser
kingjenrry
Higher?
MarlinsFanBase
nymetsking…Madden coaches football, comments on football, has cheesy commercials, and only has a football video game. I don’t think he’ll manage a baseball game. If he could do that, he’s amazing…and if he wins a championship with the Mets, he’s the genius of all geniuses.
phamdownbytheriver
You are correct….Maddon would be a terrible fit in NYC. He’ll make it all about him so quick that you’d wonder what happened.
jdan74
The Cubs want controllable puppets in the dugout. That’s why Maddon is gone. Girardi is the last person they would hire, because he’s an alpha dog.
DanielDannyDano
Girardi to the Cubs, Maddon to the Halos
Koamalu
No. They will go with someone that will allow BVW to make all the calls on lineups and matchups and pitching changes. A yes man.
nymetsking
And there was much rejoicing. “Yeaaa…”
phenomenalajs
Not so sure. Mickey was a big part of the second half turnaround, but bottom line is he wasn’t Brodie’s guy. Will the Vulture come back though for his age 83 season? He helped that pitching staff immensely in the second half.
Monkey’s Uncle
Did the Mets have to eat brave Sir Robin’s minstrels?
Bunselpower
And not one person was surprised.
david klein
Hells ya now hire Beltran or Girardi pls
Burgeezy
I hope he comes back to Cleveland to replace Willis!
juan gonzalez
whatchu talking bout willis?
kengura463incle
I agree! However, not likely to happen. I think even John Farrell who is good friends with Francona would be a betther fit for CLE Pitching coach. But that is getting off course. The story is about Calloway being fired and the Mets disfunction! The organization has been messed up for years. You cannot build a contending team with washedup FA veterans.The farm system is a joke! They set themselves back in a good system evry year, by years. A complete rebuild top to bottom is necessary!
macstruts
He’s an ex-Angel and has actually shown the ability to develop young pitchers. If Maddon doesn’t come to Anaheim, and I believe he will, I wouldn’t mind Callaway one bit.
Since he has actually helped develop young pitching, I might prefer him.
brandons-3
Two Mickey’s in Anaheim
AngelDiceClay
It’s already happened with Mickey Hatcher. And when Ausmus was canned that ended the 2 Goofeys
Freddie Morales
Mets need to hard after Carlos Beltran!!!! otherwise, Clint Hurdle is my top pick. then Ron Washington, Alfonzo, Rojas, and David Wright.
bucnole31658
Try Girardi
wkkortas
“Clint Hurdle is my top pick” is a sentence that hasn’t been uttered since the Royals drafted him.
stevenam
Oh for six. Hurdle??? Really? And Beltran has never managed. Terrible idea.
Joe Girardi is the clear, obvious and correct choice.
Freddie Morales
Girardi is going to the Cubs plus is known to clash with GMs.
jorge78
And owners…..
rayrayner
Girardi doesn’t have an interview with the Cubs. That’s why he went on the radio to say he’ll take any opening this time around.
juan gonzalez
I like ron Washington however black managers don’t last long in the mets dugout see jerry manuel, willie Randolph .
lapmando
Strike three looking Beltran….please no!!!
JoeBrady
I told Callaway to start McNeil at 2B instead of trading for Cano, but he just wouldn’t listen.
metvibes
Callaway should stay a pitching coach thats where he is good at. Made some brutal decisions and justified them with some dumbass answers.
julyn82001
Sorry, no a Mets fan, but what is really going on with the Mets? Is it the Wilpons? Are some players spoiled? What is going on?
Baseballfreak
What you have is a combination of all the above! The Mets will never contend again as long as the Wilpons run them and now they’ve spoiled all their better players with lucrative extensions so they have no reason to win. Why try hard and win when you can do just enough to make the roster and make the same amount of money? If owners started loading all these high dollar contracts with incentive laden clauses, you would see better quality on the field. Treat it just like real life, you under perform, you get under paid or fired. Plain and simple. You could throw the IL away as well, they would have incentive to show up and perform.
stevenam
Callaway is a putrid tactician. He didn’t improve in that regard.
ForestCobraAL
Three things:
1) Wilpons
2) Wilpons
3) Wilpons
joe f
4) Wilpons
5) Wilpons
6) Wilpons
oh, and 7) Wilpons
lowtalker1
Getting rid of the scapegoat early I see
bucnole31658
Girardi without a doubt
MarlinsFanBase
Is Girardi really that stupid? Or would he be trying to be the Patron Saint of Baseball by having managed under Jeffery Loria, the Steinbrenners, and the Wilpons?
Mr.BurnsSoftball
PLEASE make a classic tone deaf Mets move & hire Wally Bachman, please mets, please
MarlinsFanBase
Wow…just wow!
Will there be a bar in the dugout?
lapmando
I’m a Mets lifer….Backman should have gotten the job over Collins. I’d take Backman in a heartbeat.
MarlinsFanBase
Do you even know what’s going on with Backman? Anyone that does, cannot seriously think he’ll be a good manager or good for a team.
MetsFanaticDanny
What a surprise…………………NOT!!! Dude couldn’t manage. He should go back to being a pitching coach. Joe Girardi, come on down!!!
southpaw2153
Vanwagenen is the one who should’ve been fired for bringing back Familia and trading for anchors Cano and Diaz.
Vizionaire
mike piazza!
riffraff
99% sure it will be Rojas – Cano is tight with him and since Cano and BVW are besties it only makes sense.
jorge78
Cookie Rojas?
hiflew
1000 points for mentioning Cookie Rojas. He needs to be mentioned at least once a week.
DSB Police
Maddon, Girardi or Showalter will probably be too expensive and want more control than what the front office is willing to give.
MarlinsFanBase
Maddon, Girardi, and Showalter have shown to be knowledgeable baseball guys. When did they become stupid enough to manage the Mets?
MarlinsFanBase
Well, it seems that some statements that I made prior to the season are coming to fruition. Ahem…
Braves won the division hands down.
Mattingly is probably the best manager in the NL East (only competition is between Mattingly and Snitker). Mattingly got an extension.
2 of the 3 managers of the Phillies, Nats, and Mets would be fired. Callaway is now gone. It’d be insanely shocking to see Kapler stick.
The most overrated pitching staff in MLB history would fail to live up to the hype again.
I’m freakin’ clairvoyant!
jbigz12
I don’t think you get to pronounce a bad rebuilding clubs manager the hands down greatest in the division. Don’t really see how you’re going to make that proclamation.
MarlinsFanBase
If you know baseball, and see the moves, you can. There have been many managers that were good, but losing because of the roster. Mattingly has already shown that the success or failure of his teams are based on the roster that he has, not anything he has done. That does not seem to be the case with the other 3 NL East managers that entered the season on the hot seat. 2 will be fired while Mattingly is being extended. That says it right there.
jbigz12
They won 57 games with what was largely an equivalent roster to the one he won 63 with. Realmuto was gone but they also had young arms come up this year to help the rotation that was abysmal the year prior.
I don’t look very deep into W/L through rebuilding years when most of the talent isn’t up on the team. But I’m also not going to make the proclamation of what a great manager he is. Davey Martinez guided his team back from a 19-30 start and is now playing in October. Snitker has lead a young team back to October again. We’ll see what Mattingly can do in Miami when he has a team on the field.
MarlinsFanBase
Fair enough. Don’t be surprised that you see major jumps in 2021 for the Marlins. I see the talent coming.
Also, in 2021, you might see the Mets fire their next manager.
juan gonzalez
sure I see isan diaz’s .184 batting average and Brinson’s average. the marlins might be good in 2023 the earliest.
juan gonzalez
I see a ton of brown nosing from Donnie to jeter.
MarlinsFanBase
I didn’t realize that those were the only 2 prospects we had. (that would be sarcasm if you don’t know)
MarlinsFanBase
Wow, you lost credibility. Anyone that knows anything about Don Mattingly knows he doesn’t brown nose anyone.
Did you totally miss his Yankees playing career and his Dodgers managerial career (and why he left them)?
rayrayner
Mattingly also took a pay cut to stay. The Marlins were all over that.
didi gregorious nose
Harold ramirez meh.. Yamamoto is decent. Brice is ok dugger is garbage, Guzman is ok.
Anderson is good I’ll give u that one. Pablo lopez will be a #2. Urena is trash, quijada is so so, dean is so so. Sierra is not good
Marlins do have a few in aa and aaa. But until they come up and be productive that’s all u have prospects. Did. I miss anyone? Enlighten me
didi gregorious nose
Harold ramirez meh.. Yamamoto is decent. Brice is ok dugger is garbage, Guzman is ok.
Anderson is good I’ll give u that one. Pablo lopez will be a #2. Urena is trash, quijada is so so, dean is so so. Sierra is not good
Marlins do have a few in aa and aaa. But until they come up and be productive that’s all u have prospects. Did. I miss anyone? Enlighten me.
didi gregorious nose
Oh Alcantara I’ll give u that one future #2-3. With ace potential.
MarlinsFanBase
Some kid named Alcantara seems pretty good. Guerrero has some possibilities as a closer. Alfaro looks good with the arm and power potential.
And yes, the rest are in the Minors. A lot will be in Spring Training 2020 such as Lewin Diaz, Jesus Sanchez, Monte Harrison, Victor Victor Mesa, etc. etc.
MarlinsFanBase
Okay, you got to Alcantara. Surprised you mention Lopez as a #2, but mention Alcantara as a “2-3”. Yes, Alcantara has ace potential. He could be that. From what I see, unless something drastic happens, Alcantara is better than Lopez. I see Lopez as along the lines of Yammamoto.
Oh yea, there’s also Hernandez. We still have a ton of arms in the Minors though.
didi gregorious nose
Look I think lopez will be better then sandy. And I like sandy but lopez will be the better pitcher imo. He pitched vs the mets a game last year and he was moving the ball inside out up and down using the secondary pitches hes going to be a good one… and yes your prospects will have to come up and produce I think your shot to compete is 4 years away. By then the braves core will get expensive they wont be able to keep all their players under contract.
Koamalu
It’s a verifiable miracle that the Marlins won 57 games.
Only two guys that had a better than league average OPS+ and both missed more than a month.
The 13 guys that played in the OF for them combined for a 69 OPS+.and a .689 OPS. That is 31% and 88 points below league average.
The team as a whole had a 79 OPS+ and a .673 OPS and a 2.6 WAR.
Their pitching staff had a 6.0 WAR. As a team. A half dozen individual pitchers did better than the Marlins entire team.
If you go by WAR, they should have won about 48 games this season.
DSB Police
Clairvoyant??? It was obvious that Callaway, Kapler and Martinez had short leashes. Mattingly should take that extension as a slap in the face. The Marlins are more than 2 years away and he gets to endure the losing while another manager gets to take credit for steering the Marlins in the right direction when the rebuild comes to fruition…if it comes to fruition. The return that Jeter and company has gotten for Yelich and Ozuna has a long way to go.
imgman09
Mattingly lol Not! Seen the act before with a good team,contrary to what the Marlins are
MarlinsFanBase
I didn’t say he was the best in MLB. I do know he’s better than Callaway, Kapler, and Martinez…you know…the guys in the NL East, which is what I said.
norcalblue
Good for Callaway. Getting out of this $&!@show is probably the best thing for his career. I think the jury is out on whether he can be a manager in the major leagues, but what he had to endure shouldn’t be held against him if others are considering providing another opportunity. Notwithstanding the fact that the Mets have a few very nice pieces on the major-league roster, this franchise is a train wreck. The guy leading the way is an uninformed, insecure narcissist. His decisions have always been very short term and suspect and now that he’s under intense pressure, this is just going to get worse.
MarlinsFanBase
Well said.
Callaway is being fied while we all know this bit.
They won 86 games this year with Callaway. Mets franchise and their homer beat writers sold Kool-Aid to their fans about them being a championship contender. 29 other media markets, franchises and fan bases knew they were not, and felt they would be barely above .500.
So…while 1 franchise, media market, and fans base think the firing makes sense, while 29 others are just laughing at the continued incompetence of the Mets…especially in Atlanta and DC; while in Philly and Miami, they are happy that the Mets take the attention of their failures away because the Mets are once again the laughing stock of the NL East.
Polish Hammer
+1
VonPurpleHayes
A veteran manager can ruin the chemistry of this young, promising team. Not to mention that Callaway was extremely cheap.
I get the firing, but the Mets are now at an interesting crossroads.
MarlinsFanBase
The Mets are always at the “crossroads”.
hiflew
The Mets don’t even have to be at the crossroads to mess up. They go the wrong way on one way streets as well.
metsie1
Marlins never get on the road. Too busy losing a 100 times a season.
MarlinsFanBase
You mean like this which was only our 3rd 100-loss season….unlike the Mets who have 6?
DSB Police
In the same number of years played? The Marlins have had only 5 winning seasons since 1993 where the Mets have 12 in the same time frame. The Marlins are run so much better?
desertbull
Here comes Maddon. Get ready for dress up day
Rford68
Don’t be surprised if Jessica Mendoza is in the duggout in 2020. She is Brady’s girl and will do what ownership wants. Plus she is in to the analytics and knows the strengths and weaknesses of the other teams from doing interviews and being up in the booth. She will then have arod as her hitting coach just so the Mets can continue to disappoint
throwinched10
Mariners new pitching coach…hopefully!
Frisco500
Can the GM fire himself?
MarlinsFanBase
Why would he fire himself? Clearly that Cano trade worked out. It isn’t like he gave up big prospects or recent, top draft picks or took on a bunch of money for Cano in that trade. It isn’t like Cano is keeping anyone else off of 2B. 2B was clearly a position of need.
And of course, we know that he’s not responsible for the most overrated pitching staff in MLB history.
Familia and Diaz like the work he has done too.
DSB Police
Would he have been a genius if Diaz had performed up to the level he did last year? How is he supposed to predict that Familia would have such a horrible year? I didn’t like taking on Cano, but understood taking him on to get an elite closer. Any move made can turn out horrible like this one did. There is no guarantee the tear down Jeter is putting the Marlins through now is going to pan out…. Does he become an idiot if it doesn’t?
MarlinsFanBase
Diaz had short term career success. When you’re taking on a contract for a guy like Cano who is a big if at his age and after his PED suspension, you have to make sure…like getting a guy with a track record that is longer than Diaz, that is in his prime.
As for Familia, people already saw that he was struggling once the league figured out to stop chasing his pitches that kept dipping out of the strike zone. Once hitters started laying off of that, Familia was just another shaky reliever.
As for Jeter, if he let’s Mike Hill continue with this rebuild, yes he is an idiot. And if the rebuild fails, he deserves to be called out for it.
In any walk of life, if the results of your work fails, you are an idiot. This isn’t mommy’s womb where you can fail at what you’re trying to do, and she will still say you’re doing a good job, while she gives you cookies and milk.
DSB Police
I’m merely saying that you have the benefit of hindsight. On paper, those moves were risky, yes, but could be defended. As a Mets fan, I’ve watched Familia pitch more times than most and it’s not as if hitters were laying of close pitches out of the strike zone, he was missing badly. He had a long track record of success. I’m sure as Mr Clairvoyant you saw both of those pitchers having the horrible years they had….. Yeah right.
MarlinsFanBase
Diaz, was a gamble. I didn’t see that much of a fall, but it was still a gamble of a move for a bad contract in Cano.
As for Familia, as a Marlins fan who watched my team compete against him regularly, even when he was successful, I saw a lot of it was guys chasing his stuff that dipped out the zone low. I saw the times that he would blow leads was when hitters laid off of it to force him to come up into the zone. With those pitches, his pitches are more flat. I figured that if guys could start laying off of those pitches with the wrinkles more often, he’d start faltering on a regular basis. I saw Familia as just another Armando Benitez or Kevin Gregg type. They have good stuff, but when you figure it out, and make them come into the zone, you can tee off on them all day long.
JoeBrady
I think the GM is going to be responsible. You can’t say ‘if this happened’. It either happens or it doesn’t.
J.D. Davis worked out.
Cano, Diaz, Familia, Lowrie did not.
DSB Police
I agree the GM should be held accountable for those moves. However, treating a GM as an idiot when the logic for the moves was sound. Is Brian Cashman an idiot? He made the move for Stanton and he played less than 30 games this year. All GMs make mistakes.
JoeBrady
The logic was not sound.. There was no reason to think that McNeil couldn’t handle 2B in 2019. They had no reason to add Cano. And after that, they added another 2B in Lowrie. In the real world, Cano would back up McNeil, and Lowrie would back up Cano. That’s a waste of ~ $30M.
DSB Police
The logic was sound. Cano was to play second. Lowrie was to play third putting streaky Frazier into a back up roll. The thought was that McNeil was to be in a utility role. The Mets were not completely sold that his start was sustainable. Building depth as well.
didi gregorious nose
U have to realize we had no way of getting rid of bruce. No one wanted him or swarzak. There was no need for bruce every team knew that no one was going to take him off our hands u dont want your 5th of making 13 m a year. This is why the trade happened
JoeBrady
Understood, but that’s why I called Cano & Lowrie $30M, even though Cano himself cost $24M. But imo, when you have a bad salary, you buy it down and trade him. But past that, yes, BVW inherited a bad contract.
JoeBrady
That logic is not sound. Firstly, Lowrie does not play 3rd. He had 20 starts at 3rd with the RS as a rookie. And 75 more over his next ten years. And his UZR/150 in his two previous years was -6.2 and -7.9. Not to mention you are essentially moving him to a new position at age 35. Even with the RS, part of his rap was the lack of an arm.
And paying a Cano $20M, for seasons age 36-40 to play 2nd? The number of productive 2Bs at that age, over the past 5 years is almost -0-.
Koamalu
After the issues with deGrom and Syndergaard saying they would prefer not to pitch to Ramos i was curious and looked up Diaz’s record with the different Mets catchers behind the plate. Ramos – 6.14 ERA Nido – 3.27. He is a closer. Maybe they should have brought Nido in to catch that last half inning of the game when Diaz was in there.
juan gonzalez
no but the coo can can the gm
braves25
Nooooo! Callaway was an amazing manager! He made great moves to help the Braves win pretty much every game…
metnoxious
Jeff Wilpon is going to be the next manager of the Mets. He’s got the qualifications for the job.
High school graduate
Dad owns the team
MarlinsFanBase
metnoxious has my nominee for Post of the Year!
keysox
Jeff has no experience. At least when the White SOX hired Robin Ventura he had coached his sons little league team prior
keysox
Who hasn’t. We are all qualified to be the next White Sox manager if Ricky gets canned
ASapsFables
I called this one. Let’s see if any of my other managerial predictions come true including Gabe Kapler being fired by the Phillies.
As for which managers land elsewhere, I am sticking with Bruce Bochy in San Diego, Joe Maddon in Anaheim and one of the Cubs internal candidates from among David Ross, Mark Loretta and Will Venable getting the Chicago gig. I hope Joe Girardi becomes the next Cubs manager but see him as a more likely fit back in New York, this time with the Mets. If the Angels don’t want to pony up the dollars for Maddon I can see the genius also taking his ego to the bright lights of NY city. My best guess with the Giants job is Raul Ibanez going to San Francisco without the flowers in his hair.
MarlinsFanBase
Again, would Maddon or Girardi be dumb enough to go manage the Mets? That’s career suicide.
rayrayner
Not Maddon. Girardi might have to if he can get an interview.
Ralph3rd
Think about it. This team just won 86 games with a garbage pen and a clueless manager. Maddon won a World Series with the Cubs something no other manager in our lifetime can claim. If he could get the Mets to a championship he can punch his ticket to the Hall
DSB Police
I think Maddon had already pinched his ticket to the hall. He was a pioneer with the Rays (which seems to be an organisational thing). The Cubs World Series win put him over the top. The question is why did his relationship with Cubs sour so quickly?
rayrayner
Because the other HOF guy has the power.
MarlinsFanBase
You think the Mets won 86 games with a clueless manager? Um, 29 other media markets, franchises, and fan bases commend the guy for being able to to squeeze out that many wins out of a team that the rest of the planet felt would be barely above .500. And you think the manager was clueless?
It wasn’t just the bullpen that was garbage.
I wonder what the excuse will be next year…like it was each of the previous years before this.
portopotti
Clearly you didn’t watch many Met games.
ASapsFables
rayrayner: That “other HOF guy” only has two years left on his second 5-year contract extension with the Cubs. I’m wondering if owner Tom Ricketts would allow Theo Epstein to hire any manager to a contract longer than what the boy wonder has left remaining on his own. If that’s the case Joe Girardi will be looking elsewhere and one those 3 internal candidates with no previous managerial experience will likely be the Cubs next skipper.
Koamalu
A garbage pen that with the exception of Avilan will all be back in 2020.
mike156
Mets ownership occasionally reminds me of Knicks ownership. Now, I realize that seems grotesquely unfair, because no one could be like Knicks ownership…
TJECK109
He will further his misery by becoming the Pirates next manager
SportsFan0000
Mets are a complete trainwreck.
The Wilpons should have been forced to sell the team by MLB after the Bernie Madoff debacle.
Astros were forced into bankruptcy and forced to sell the club by MLB.
Astros were sold to new ownership that cleaned house, brought in an entirely new front office and rebuilt that ballclub and farm system top to bottom.
Clearly the Astros plan and MO worked.
Clearly, the Mets plan did not work.
As long as the Wilpons own and micro manage the Mets
without the skills, judgment, experience and financial commitment required to build and maintain
a winner, then the Mets trainwreck will continue.
It must be very hard to be a Mets fan…
Polish Hammer
Left out how they tanked and got lucky by the picks all working out…
Rford68
Don’t think Maddon or Girardi go the the Mets. Maddon won’t be able to manage the way he wants and giradi seems to only want to coach the Cubs.
JayRyder
Joe Maddon
acmeants
This isn’t a surprise, it just didn’t happen so enough to make any difference this year. If the Mets had sent Callaway packing when he got physical with the reporter in the clubhouse, they may have been able to turn the season around. Alas, neither the manager nor the FO had any class.
DSB Police
Callaway never got physical with the reporter. His altercation was merely verbal and probably a moment where the stress finally got to be too much. Vargas, the pitcher, was the one who was moving towards a physical altercation and he was in the doghouse until he was shipped to the Phillies.
acmeants
So add Vargas to the classless column. All that is a firing offense in my book. When you can’t stand the heat, get the hell out of NYC.
El Ruso
Feels a bit like a caddie firing the club’s golf pro when it comes from the mouth of an idiot like Brodie, innit? No offense to Mets fans–any offense is clearly directed at Mets ownership.
MarlinsFanBase
So, can I predict the next occurrences with the Mets? I’ll do it anyway.
They will hire someone that will be hyped up as the savior of the team, who will lead them to the promised land.
Then, the Mets will make a whole bunch of transactions this offseason to get the headlines in the NY news away from the Yankees. They will hype each move up, even though the rest of the planet knows they are bad moves.
The Mets PR and homer beat writers will set up the Kool-aid stand as they tell everyone that the Mets are championship contenders with their new moves, new manager, and the greatest pitching staff in MLB history.
After the season starts, at some point during the season, reality will set in and the Mets will not be as good as advertised.
Mets fans will blame the new manager, the GM, the ownership, Mister Met, and the hotdog and beer vendors.
The Mets homer beat writers will start to lead the Mets fans in bashing the Mets decisions, all the while getting amnesia in that they were part of the original setting up of the Kool-aid stand.
This year, unless it’s a complete disaster, Mets fans will be upset when they are not in the playoffs and the manager is given another year.
Eventually, sometime in 2021, the Mets will fire the manager in exchange for the next savior.
Wash…rinse…repeat…as it has been ever since 1986.
keysox
All I can say is Robin Ventura and Ozzie are available
bobtillman
The Mets will neither buy the high-priced spread (Maddon, Girardi) , nor the bargain basement stuff (Beltran, etc.). They offer a mid-range contract to an experienced, successful guy who wants to get back into the dugout so bad he can taste it.
Bucky Showalter’s the next Met manager…..
MarlinsFanBase
When did Buck Showalter become stupid?
bobtillman
Nah, I just think he’d love to get back in, especially if it’s down the street from Yankee-ville….. probably at half the money the O’s were paying him…..
DSB Police
So, you have to be stupid to take the Mets job? Mattingly should have opted to get out of Miami for maybe San Diego or the Cubs, but he chose to stay. Shouldn’t we question his choices?
MarlinsFanBase
Considering that the Mets have been a complete train-wreck that is put on the stage for everyone to see, yes, it’s a stupid job to take.
The Marlins have a history of bouncing back.
Same amount of championships as the Mets in far far far far less years.
imthemanrightnow
lol you’re joking right? stop toking marijuana is not yet legal. mets a train wreck? have you looked at miami recently? i was there, they had 1500 in the stands. you’re delusional
DSB Police
In the same number of years played? The Marlins have had only 5 winning seasons since 1993 where the Mets have 12 in the same time frame. The Marlins are run so much better?
MarlinsFanBase
The Mets have benefited from the big market/small market thing. Despite that, the Marlins have just as many championships as the Mets in far far far far less years.
DSB Police
The Mets were number 10 in payroll this year with 2 player’s salaries being recouped via insurance. They are not run like a big market team (thanks Bernie for giving the Wilpons a reason to be cheap). That’s just an excuse. The A’s and Indians are small market with sustained success. The Pirates had a decent run. The Mets may be poorly run, but you have to admit the Marlins are as well. Did you forget the overspending disaster of a season when they signed all those free agents Reyes, Buehrle, etc when they opened that awful park? The Marlins have money to spend, they just choose not to.
imthemanrightnow
ok what about the years between championships when the marlins fielded a AA team with no one in the stands? lol its a baseball morgue in miami.
imthemanrightnow
ok what about the years between championships when the marlins fielded a AA team with no one in the stands? lol
imthemanrightnow
ok what about the years in between when they were a AA team? enjoy those? and mets have spent in as a middle market team not big. and miami isn’t a big market?
jim stem
Syndergaard’s career is really starting to parallel Harvey’s. Great start, incredible ability, nicknames, injuries, clubhouse demands and barely average results. His value and effectiveness drops every season.
imthemanrightnow
100% agree. big disappointment
of9376
That’s why the Mets will never get a legit, winning manager. The last guy they had that was a winner was Davey Johnson and we all know how that ended.
imthemanrightnow
do you define winner as the world series? he also had a great team. id put valentine in the great category. he went to world series with a wild card team. collins too. he had nothing. yet went to playoffs twice
TribeGuy 2
We will be excited to get Mickey back in The Land. Bullpen job open and ready.
didi gregorious nose
U have to realize we had no way of getting rid of bruce. No one wanted him or swarzak. There was no need for bruce every team knew that no one was going to take him off our hands u dont want your 5th of making 13 m a year. This is why the trade happened
friendly illinois brethren
Suggestion from a White Sox fan: not Robin Ventura.
StandUpGuy
Mark my words. The Mets will either sign Girardi or the guy with the “stylish” glasses that the Cubs just fired. Probably Girardi because ownership is obsessed with anyone that ever had anything to do with the Yankees. If they sign Joe Maddon it will be because he is the highest profile experienced manager on the market. It would kind of remind me of when they hired that former Oakland manager years ago. I’m guessing its Girardi though. If anyone disagrees with the fact that it will be one of those 2 managers and has the balls to bet on it I will take all offers. I get Girardi and Maddon and you get the field.
imthemanrightnow
how are the mets obsessed with anything from the yankees??? thats not even close to true so why post it? prove it. yanks are obsessed. they signed golden cone strawberry. you have no clue what you’re talking about
StandUpGuy
I just meant that the Wilpons are obsessed with what the Yankees do. There was a story in the New York Post about how “livid” Fred Wilpons was about the fact the Yankees acquired Stanton. There is also the fact that the Mets try to avoid trading with the Yankees because they don’t want them to get better. My question is: Why does it matter? The Mets don’t even contend with them for a playoff spot. Fred Wilpon would literally rather make a trade with the Mets actual division rivals over the Yanks. I have also read articles about how angry Fred Wilpon gets over the press coverage the Yankees get. I think he is focused on the wrong thing. He needs to worry about a Championship and not the press coverage. The Mets did finish slightly better then I thought they would but nowhere near where a team with payroll like that should. I was surprised at how poorly Diaz performed so I can’t blame BVW for that. That’s besides the point though. Trading multiple good prospects and taking on $120 million in salary for an aging Cano just to get a relief pitcher is not smart at all. Paying $30 million to Familia isn’t smart either. I don’t really get the Stroman thing either. The Mets are probably going to miss the playoffs again next year and at the very least are an extreme long shot to win the WS. Why trade prospects to acquire a guy that’s only under contract for one year. The Mets need less overpaid veterans and more young core players like Alonso. By 2021 the players and cash the Mets traded for Stroman will be gone and likely Stroman himself. If the Mets don’t make a serious run for the WS next year it hurt them more than helped them. That was a trade a team like the Dodgers or Yanks should have made to push then over the top this year. The Mets weren’t in that position. I feel like the Mets are doing okay in spite of BVW. Not because of him. They would be a lot better and have more cap space if not for him. (Sorry. This comment was kind of a reply to multiple other comments so I know that no one person brought up the wilpons and BVW.)
User 589131137
Come back to Cleveland!!! Get Carl Willis the FOH!!!!!
jakec77
Mets were ultimately right about where they were expected to land, I believe the over under for them was 85.5 wins. They just took a winding road to get there.
I can make an argument pretty easily either way as to whether Callaway should have been kept. On the one hand, the fact that the team didn’t quit when they were dead and buried (find me anyone who at end of June thought the Mets would be in contention into late September), and that speaks well for Callaway. Plus, the biggest issue the Mets had was the bullpen, where there was just nothing anyone could have done- he had 2 relievers he could remotely trust, in modern baseball you can’t win that way.
On the other hand, he made a lot of inexplicable decisions throughout the year. He was supposed to be a pitching guru but not only was Diaz garbage but he also did not get the results out of Syndergaard that you’d expect. And, for better or worse, Mets are pushing forward like the time to win is now, and if you are trying to send a message that last year’s results weren’t good enough, then you have to fire the manager.
JoeBrady
He was supposed to be a pitching guru but not only was Diaz garbage
————————————————————————
I mentioned this, as had others, a long time ago. On 5/26, Diaz had a rough save against Detroit, with 32 pitches. Then sent him out in a non-save situation on 5/28. Then he had to throw the following night (5/29) for a real save, and 30 more pitches.
A lot of people wondered why you’d send him out for a non-save 2 days after a 32-pitch outing. His ERA before the 5/29 outing was 1.64, with a 35/6 K/W in 22 innings. That’s what was expected.
After the LAD fiasco, his ERA was 8.00, albeit with a still good 64/16 K/W. You can never tell, but it is entirely possible that non-save outing was what derailed Diaz.
jim stem
The worst case Mets scenario is they hire Kepler.
Callaway deserves credit where it is due, but also the blame for batting Cano 3rd for half the year.
I think even more credit should be given to Chili Davis. I wonder if he’d like to manage? He obviously has the respect and communication skills with the players and about 5 decades of baseball experience.
JoeBrady
I wonder if he was ordered to bat Cano 3rd, and to stick with Diaz until the bitter end? From an OPS perspective, Cano was the worst hitter in the lineup. And maybe Diaz could’ve been pulled from the closer role sooner.
But how bad would it look for BVW if his two huge overpayments resulted in a #8 hitter and a 7th inning RP?
And I liked Chili when he was with the RS. He should at least get an interview.
imthemanrightnow
no no no i don’t want davis as a manager. he is too good as a hitting coach. go get a gerardi
Dutch Vander Linde
He’s just a CALL away from getting another job.
luckyrabbit
It won’t be any of the guys mentioned above. Look for Hensley Muelens!
imthemanrightnow
nice guy bad on field manager. i don’t blame him i blame sandy and the met owners for hiring him. I’m sure he hooks on as a pitching coach. he can’t manage. now go out and get a real proven manager. the time is now to win.
joefriday1948
They made him a sad man.
joefriday1948
Mickey was the best manager in Met’s history. His way with pitchers, young hitters and the fans was legendary. No one can possibly replace him . No one will forget his years with the Yankees. This is the worst decision in the history of baseball and will curse the Mets for decades.