Joe Girardi

New York Mets: Jeff Wilpon’s Power Struggle

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New York Mets, Jeff Wilpon

Stop me if you have heard this one before…Jeff Wilpon wants full control over the New York Mets decisions. The COO of the organization looks to hire a manager who falls in line. Instead their aim should be a manager who will do things their own way.

This does not rule out the possible hiring of Joe Girardi or Buck Showalter, which is why they are still receiving interviews. Both managers are guys who want to run the team their own way and leave the front office out of their decision making. This was part of the reason why the Yankees let Girardi go because they wanted someone who would know their place in the organization.

First Year Managers Only?

It is hard to think any veteran manager will simply fall in line with what Wilpon/Brodie Van Wagenen want. Much like Mickey Callaway they will take a chance on a manager without any experience who will follow what he is told. If this is the case, expect another year(s) of futility from the Mets.

This has been the issue since the Wilpons took control of the Mets. Everything has to be done their way and no World Series championships in the last 33 years should show that this is not working. Jeff and Fred Wilpon never worked in baseball outside of owning the team and their baseball opinions are just as good as someone you find on the street. They are single handedly killing their own franchise and their idea that they know best will continue to hold back the franchise.

As the list of candidates settle, the manager who will not be a “yes man” deserves the job. Girardi/Showalter and a potential future hall of famer in Carlos Beltran do not fit that mold. The selected manager will be very telling of what the future of the team will be.

New York Mets: Is Joe Girardi in the Mix for the Manager Job?

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New York Yankees, Yankees, Joe Girardi

The New York Mets have not provided a lot of information on who will be involved in their new manager search. Their only answer is that they are going to interview everyone they can and despite that Joe Girardi seems to be the odds on favorite.

Girardi has shut down and idea of him taking the job, leaving everything to speculation. Since he was let go by the Yankees after the 2017 season, he has been itching to get himself back in the dugout. He is a former World Series winning player and manager with one of the brightest minds in all of baseball.

Is he the Man for the Job?

Girardi would be a major upgrade from the lackluster manager that was Mickey Callaway. His bullpen and overall pitching decisions were better and he is exactly what the modern manager should be. Girardi definitely has an ego and will put players in their place, but it is hard to find someone who did not enjoy playing for him.

The most important quality about Girardi is that he will answer to no one when it comes to managing the game. It was part of the reason why he was pushed out by the Yankees. They wanted someone who they had control over, which is why Aaron Boone was handed the job.

If the Mets choose to let someone have full control of the team, Girardi is the perfect guy. He knows New York, knows how to handle young players and how to manage pitching staffs. If the reports of decisions coming from the front office are true, then Girardi and Brodie Van Wagenen will not get along.

Hopefully, for the Mets sake, they decide to hand the reigns over to Girardi.

New York Mets: Mickey Callaway Held Out of Organizational Meeting

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New York Mets, Mets

Let the offseason rumors commence! The Mets have not announced a lot of information about their organizational meeting, other than the fact that it is this week. The other big chunk of news is that current manager, Mickey Callaway, will not be in attendance. This could speak volumes about what the future of Callaway looks like.

Excluding Callaway from the meeting will allow each member to speak their mind about his future. This does not necessarily mean Callaway will be fired, but it certainly is not a good sign for his future.

Player’s Manager

Throughout the ups and downs of the season, the players always stood up for Callaway. He had their back in return. Callaway always looked out for his players and brought a positive mindset throughout every situation. Sometimes, we wanted to see a little more fire out of him, but his positivity was one of the strongest parts of his managing. It is why the Mets had a “never say die” mentality and continued to play hard every night.

Where the questions come is with Callaway’s decision making. But seriously, who even knows if a majority of the decisions are his. There have been so many reports about the in game decisions and lineups coming from upstairs. In the end, Callaway ends up being the scape goat.

Has there been plenty of questionable moves? Yes and unless we hear otherwise, the blame has to be put on Callaway.

If the Mets decide to keep him, we will probably see more of what we saw this season. We can give Callaway the benefit of the doubt when it comes to decisions like Edwin Diaz. The Mets kept sending him out to close, when he clearly was no where near his best. Callaway and Phil Regan are experience pitching coaches who would have likely moved Seth Lugo to the closer role much earlier in the season.

Who Are The Replacements?

The replacement of Callaway will have a lot to say about the direction the Mets are heading in. If they hire a hands on manager like Joe Girardi or Joe Maddon, then the reigns of the team will be left to them. Either of those two World Series winnings managers are not going to take in game orders from an agent turned GM.

One of the other interesting variables is to see if anyone will put up with moves coming down from the front office. The top tier managers will not, but someone in Callaway’s situation may put up with it just to have their first managerial job.

The Preferred Pick

If the players love playing for Callaway, they will love playing for Girardi. He has a winning pedigree from his one season in Florida and his years with the Yankees. Girardi found ways to win with below average Yankees teams and he is itching to get back in uniform. It would be a perfect marriage to pair him with the young, growing team in New York.

Callaway’s managerial record is 163-161 through two seasons, compared to 988-794 in Girardi’s 11 seasons. Girardi has a 28-24 record in the postseason, with a 73.4% successful challenge rate compared to no postseason experience and 43.1% from Callaway. The only active manager close to Girardi on challenges is Aaron Boone, who also manages the Yankees. Girardi seems like the no brainer over Callaway.