The Mets offseason began as one of eight teams seeking a new manager. Five teams have quickly filled the void. Is there an overabundance of thinking going on here…
The Mets, after experiencing the hiring of Mickey Callaway following only one interview, may have cause to be a little gun-shy in leaping ahead without due diligence again. But this appears to be getting a bit extreme…
I wouldn’t pretend to guess at the number of candidates the Mets have interviewed over the past few weeks as they search for a new manager. News media can’t keep track of which candidate has been interviewed twice, three times, or possibly more.
Your favorite is my favorite or anyone else’s favorite. Where she stops, no one knows.
Mets: Left-hand, right-hand…
A fair question to ask at this point is if this whole scenario is merely another example of Mets’ dysfunction at the top – and is it that they have no idea of who or what they want.
On the one hand, we get a report from a legitimate source that the search has narrowed down to four: Tim Bogar, Eduardo Perez, Derek Shelton, and Carlos Beltran.
But on the proverbial other hand, we also learn that Pat Murphy, the Brewers bench coach, has interviewed twice with team officials. Really? When did that happen?
Five of the eight teams in need of a new manager have swiftly solved the problem to the delight of fans and those within the organization.
These teams are ready to move on to other issues like impending salary arbitration matters, targeting players declaring free-agency, and phone conversations with 29 teams as to potential trade topics.
So what is it with the Mets? Part of it has to be that Brodie Van Wagenen has finally gotten his wish with the Wilpon’s stamp of approval on Callaway’s firing.
But with that wish comes a responsibility in knowing this one is on him – and he alone has his legacy as a Mets GM hanging in the balance.
Van Wagenen is well aware that his pick to be the third manager of the Mets in as many years will serve as a pretext for the remainder of the offseason. Get off on the wrong foot and…
Indecisiveness does not appear to be part of Van Wagenen’s playbook, as witnessed by the gunslinger’s approach he took last season by bringing Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, and Jed Lowrie onboard without (seemingly) the blink of an eye.
Mets: How to explain the indecisiveness
Yesterday, I asked a question that is still relevant and worthy of asking. Does it really matter who the manager is on this Mets team? Anyone of the so-called “finalists” is capable of doing the job. So why not just get on with it?
Shame on Brodie Van Wagenen, though, for another reason. He recognized the cards as they were being dealt with throughout the season.
And he darn well knew that Mickey Callaway was a lame duck, although a scare must have made his blood boil for a while as the Mets almost pulled it off.
What was he doing and thinking over this long a period? Did he place “off the record” phone calls to candidates “of interest” to explore their availability, interest, and philosophy toward the job in advance of Callaway’s dismissal?
Who knows? But what we are witnessing is something far less than a General Manager who was prepared to take the hiring process in hand, and to control it without the appearance of throwing darts against the wall.
For the umpteenth time, can we just get this done so the organization can move on to equally other vital issues facing the team for the 2020 season…
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
