The New York Mets have a manager problem. Again.
For the 4th time in 5 years, the Mets are looking for a new manager to lead the team. And with less than a month before pitchers and catchers report, it’s not like they’re going to have a lot of time to secure someone who can truly evaluate the team. Part of it was Brodie Van Wagenen’s fault, as he didn’t press Beltrán about his involvement in the Astros cheating scandal before he was hired, but that’s not important. What is important is trying to find the right person for the job in the span of a few weeks.
Lead Candidates for the Mets
In a report by Danny Abriano for SNY, Luis Rojas is reportedly the lead candidate right now being discussed internally by the team. Rojas is only 38 years old, but young managers are in vogue right now. What works to his advantage is that he’s a coach who’s worked his way up through the Mets system, from when he joined in 2006. Rojas would then have a closer relationship with homegrown stars like Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Pete Alonzo, and Brandon Nimmo, who would get vets like Cano, Cespedes, and Betances fully on board. Three other potentials include Hensley Meulens, Tim Bogar, and Eduardo Perez.
Maybe Go Old School
It’s no surprise that front offices want managers who will abide by the analytical information provided by their analytics department. Which has resulted in managers like Buck Showalter and Bruce Bochy out of the game? With a mess like this, the manager got fired for his involvement in a cheating scandal, someone hard-nosed and old school may be just the kick in the pants an organization needs. The players on the Mets, Red Sox and Astros are all going to be distracted come Spring training by the added media attention around their former manager’s departure. Buck Showalter would be a perfect guy to keep a team focused, cut out all the noise, and get his men to focus on the task at hand. Getting to the 2020 World Series.