Let the offseason rumors commence! The Mets have not announced a lot of information about their organizational meeting, other than the fact that it is this week. The other big chunk of news is that current manager, Mickey Callaway, will not be in attendance. This could speak volumes about what the future of Callaway looks like.
Mickey Callaway on watching the playoffs from home: "The next month is going to suck."
If this was indeed Callaway's last game as Mets manager, he finishes with a 163-161 record. We'll find out this week.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 29, 2019
Excluding Callaway from the meeting will allow each member to speak their mind about his future. This does not necessarily mean Callaway will be fired, but it certainly is not a good sign for his future.
Player’s Manager
Throughout the ups and downs of the season, the players always stood up for Callaway. He had their back in return. Callaway always looked out for his players and brought a positive mindset throughout every situation. Sometimes, we wanted to see a little more fire out of him, but his positivity was one of the strongest parts of his managing. It is why the Mets had a “never say die” mentality and continued to play hard every night.
When asked about Mickey Callaway's status, Brandon Nimmo said the neck injury that kept him sidelined for most of the season probably played a bigger role in the Mets missing the playoffs than any managerial decision.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) September 29, 2019
Where the questions come is with Callaway’s decision making. But seriously, who even knows if a majority of the decisions are his. There have been so many reports about the in game decisions and lineups coming from upstairs. In the end, Callaway ends up being the scape goat.
Has there been plenty of questionable moves? Yes and unless we hear otherwise, the blame has to be put on Callaway.
If the Mets decide to keep him, we will probably see more of what we saw this season. We can give Callaway the benefit of the doubt when it comes to decisions like Edwin Diaz. The Mets kept sending him out to close, when he clearly was no where near his best. Callaway and Phil Regan are experience pitching coaches who would have likely moved Seth Lugo to the closer role much earlier in the season.
Who Are The Replacements?
The replacement of Callaway will have a lot to say about the direction the Mets are heading in. If they hire a hands on manager like Joe Girardi or Joe Maddon, then the reigns of the team will be left to them. Either of those two World Series winnings managers are not going to take in game orders from an agent turned GM.
The top three potential landing spots for Joe Maddon: The #Mets, #Padres and #Phillies.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 29, 2019
One of the other interesting variables is to see if anyone will put up with moves coming down from the front office. The top tier managers will not, but someone in Callaway’s situation may put up with it just to have their first managerial job.
The Preferred Pick
If the players love playing for Callaway, they will love playing for Girardi. He has a winning pedigree from his one season in Florida and his years with the Yankees. Girardi found ways to win with below average Yankees teams and he is itching to get back in uniform. It would be a perfect marriage to pair him with the young, growing team in New York.
Callaway’s managerial record is 163-161 through two seasons, compared to 988-794 in Girardi’s 11 seasons. Girardi has a 28-24 record in the postseason, with a 73.4% successful challenge rate compared to no postseason experience and 43.1% from Callaway. The only active manager close to Girardi on challenges is Aaron Boone, who also manages the Yankees. Girardi seems like the no brainer over Callaway.