While half the teams searching for managers have made hires already, the New York Mets are conducting their third round of interviews to find their next leader. The list of names was cutdown between rounds one and two, but barely changed for round three. They still feature Eduardo Perez, Tim Bogar, Carlos Beltran, Luis Rojas. Pat Murphy‘s name emerged as a mystery candidate over the weekend, but it is unknown if he is receiving a third interview.
Sense is the Mets are not particularly close to naming their next manager. They are still performing call-back interviews, and could extend the process well beyond this week. With several candidates they like, the Mets feel little pressure to make a quick decision.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 23, 2019
Murphy has been the Brewers bench coach since 2016 and spent 20 years coaching college baseball. He came to the major leagues in 2010 where he was working throughout the Padres organization. He managed them to a 42-54 record in 2015 after Bud Black was let go. The still unknown “bombshell candidate” is still in play as well.
These interviews will feature Fred Wilpon, it what seems like the boss battle in a video game. The Mets interview process is one of the most extensive in baseball and rightly so after Mickey Callaway’s time as a Met was a disaster.
Manager Interviews or March Madness
At this point, we may need bracketology to keep track of the remaining candidates. It is a good sign to see the Mets go this far for their candidates though. It is better for them to be thorough than to pick anyone…even though Joe Girardi was the right man for the job.
Carlos Beltran is still in play for the Mets' manager job. As @Joelsherman1 reported, the third (and presumably final) stage of the search will include an interview w/ Fred Wilpon. Per a source with knowledge of the process, Beltran is among those who will have such a sit-down.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 28, 2019
What continues to make the dynamics of these interviews interesting is the amount of involvement the front office likes to have. At times during Callaway’s tenure, it seemed like he was stuck with whatever in game decisions they wanted. Since we do not know the questions from the interview, the power of the next manager is up to speculation.
When the season begins, we will receive a better idea. If the team is managed the same way as Callaway, it will be obvious the front office has control. Potential managers like Perez and Rojas have plenty of experience and should deserve the ability to manage the game without the front office’s hand up you know where.