According to SNY.tv, the Mets are looking to make this a very quick search for their new manager and want one in place by the end of next week.
That means they will be looking for someone they know, rather than someone new and has to go through the interview process from the beginning.
More than likely, that also means you are looking at an internal candidate like Hensley Meulens, Luis Rojas or Tony DeFrancisco or someone who got to the end of the last process, meaning Eduardo Perez.
However, the Mets may better be served by looking inside and getting their own experienced manager. Yes, we are saying they should bring back Terry Collins for this year.
Collins will be 71 at the end of May, so this isn’t going to be a long term solution, but right now we are looking at the 2020 window, because the Mets are built to win this season.
It seems much longer than two years, since Collins graced the dugout. However, many of the key players were on the team back in 2017, know him and he knows the roster.
More importantly, he also has a relationship with one key player for the 2020 season, Yoenis Cespedes.
The mercurial outfielder is coming back from double heal and ankle surgery. For some reason, he hit it off with Collins when he come to the club back in 2015 and for some reason gets the best out of the outfielder.
Plus, there will be some goodwill for Collins, since he is last manager to take the Mets to the World Series and only the second manager in their history to go back-to-back to the playoffs.
Collins was shown the door after the 2017 season, mainly because his relationship with Sandy Alderson soured. He, though, maintains a close relationship with the Wilpons, namely Fred, because Collins seemed to enjoy taking baseball with his boss before games.
Because of that “special relationship” Collins kept his job longer and frankly, the Mets were rewarded for it in 2015.
When Beltran was hired, Collins was named as a candidate for bench coach, which eventually went to Meulens. He didn’t seem interested in that position, but coming back as a manager may interest Collins, especially if it’s for the short term of a year or two.
Remember, Steve Cohen will be taking over the club very soon, maybe as early as 2021 and when he comes in, he may clean house, especially if the Mets underperform again. If Brodie Van Wagenen wants to keep his job longer than a year, he needs not to take a risk in this hiring. Mickey Callaway’s inexperience was evident during his tenure and Carlos Beltran didn’t even get to Spring Training.
The Mets need someone who checks all the boxes. Experience, knowledge of the organization, both with the players and management, and can ride through the roller coaster ride that is Citi Field.
All these boxes are checked.
Sure, Collins is a bit old school with his way and will manage with his gut from time to time, but so what?
The Mets are in a position when there is no perfect candidate out there for them. Going for inexperience is going to be a dice roll, no matter how highly regarded these candidates are and any of the experienced candidates will come in without a knowledge of the organization, which puts then at a disadvantage.
Collins, though, may be the closest person, who will give the Mets the best of all the worlds.
They should offer him the job if he wants it.
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