Reese Kaplan -- Yet Again, Another New Error, er, Era

The shoe has dropped, the ax has fallen, the firing squad has carried out its mission.  The Mickey Callaway era is officially over. 

While it really wasn’t that long ago that the Mets were going through the process of seeking a replacement for Terry Collins who, by mutual decree, was not returning to manage after the 2017 season.  

The previous front office hemmed and hawed during the interview process, missing out on some candidates but ultimately settling on not the tried and true like Bob Melvin, but instead went in a totally different direction with an energetic, enthusiastic and successful pitching coach from the Indians.  

There was a certain understandable logic to it as the Mets were a team built on pitching and the better it became, the more likely they could contend once again.  Then there was the Metsian logic that a rookie manager wouldn’t cost nearly as much as someone with a proven track record.

Frankly, I could have gone either way on this one.  I derisively dubbed Mickey “Terry II” for his inane lineup decisions, bullpen mismanagement and apparently lack of communication with the players.  

There has already been the anonymous sources confirming that his positivity and openness with the players sounded great in the interview in the initial press events, but it really never came to fruition.  

Still, he rallied the team to play at a 105 win pace for the last 44% of the season (thanks for doing the math, Tom!)  So letting him play out the string for his third year was how I thought it would go since the Wilpons are loathe to pay someone for not doing a day-to-day job on the ballclub (injuries notwithstanding). 

Add in the fact that they previously not only welcomed back but renewed a losing manager, it came as something of a surprise that they would cut loose one with a winning record not only this year but overall.  However, the handwriting was on the wall when Mickey was not invited to the managerial meetings this week.

Rather than get into specific names of candidates for the position, let’s instead think a bit about what it is you expect from a manager.  

There are rumblings still now that were certainly louder under Collins that it was the front office and not the manager pulling the strings.  If that’s the case, forget about the highly regarded and intelligent winning managers because they would not stand for such nonsense. (And they cost too much for the Wilpons!)

Then there’s the option of picking a marquee name who has not managed before, perhaps even one with a Mets connection in his past.  Callaway had no such connection.  There are plenty of folks out there who do.  

The problem there is two-fold.  The team saw what happened when a newcomer to the manager’s seat had to learn on the job.  Yes, there’s a lot more to managing than filling out the lineup card.  There’s motivation, knowing when a player needs a rest even when he denies it, knowing when a player is dogging it, and the in-game strategies such as defensive shifts, hit and run, double switching and the like. 

The other reason you won’t likely see an inexperienced former Mets player named to the role which has nothing to do with any of the above list of criteria.  If Tom Seaver was in better health, for example, he treads on the team’s most hallowed ground.  What he accomplished for the team makes him likely the all-time fan favorite.  

Now imagine the day comes when he must be fired as all managers eventually do?  What would that do to his legacy?  The Mets obviously wouldn’t look at Seaver but the parallel is valid with other names you could toss into the hat.  It’s a major PR hit they wouldn’t want to take in the future. 

That leads us to the third (and I feel most likely category).  There are a great many candidates who have been successful minor league managers still in that role or who have moved into a major league coaching position in the bullpen, on the bench or elsewhere.  These guys would not likely make the newbie blunders of a pure rookie.  They would know how to motivate and build winning culture.  

But if they’ve not yet had the major league managerial job yet, they are likely going to be a bit more timid about standing up to a meddling front office.  Finally, they would not command big money.  That’s the four pillars of Mets’ decision-making. 

Brodie Van Wagenen has been creative and brash in his decision making thus far.  He also is prompt in coming to these decisions.  

I fully expect the interview process to begin next week with an announcement made immediately following the conclusion of the World Series so as not to steal headlines per MLB’s unwritten policy on such things.  The handshake agreement on the chosen candidate will probably happen between now and then.