BOLTIN’ JOE
Ex-Yanks skipper shuns rudderless Mets to manage rival in ‘sixth boro’
Mets fans dealt with another loss — yes, for this fanbase, even offseason losses transpire — when reports emerged early Thursday morning of Joe Girardi being hired by the Phillies as their next manager.
It’s hard to imagine Girardi lacked some obscure managerial quality that the Mets were looking for. He’s a proven winner: He led the Yankees to their most recent World Series championship. He focuses on the details, he knows how to navigate a media circus particular to New York and he had the Mets’ fanbase on his side.
Girardi’s managerial resume speaks for itself, and maybe that was the problem. An experienced manager with a number of impressive accomplishments would want to call his own shots. Girardi also
warrants a pricey contract. All of which means less control for Brodie Van Wagenen and company.
Perhaps the Mets are looking for the perfect recipe. They want a game-savvy manager who also does what he’s told. A manager who can act as a shield for the front office when they’ll eventually make mind-melting decisions. A manager that is inclined to build a strong rapport in the clubhouse — someone who will coolly shake hands and pat backs after games, win or lose.
The Mets’ tight-lipped hiring process is giving way to more speculation than hard clues. But, for those reading the tea leaves, Van Wagenen passing on Girardi could also diminish the possibility of someone experienced, like Dusty Baker or Buck Showalter, managing the team.
That means a handful of first-year candidates are still in play, including former Met and current Yankees special advisor Carlos Beltran, Mets quality control coach Luis Rojas, ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez, Nationals first-base coach Tim Bogar and former Yankees minor-league manager Derek Shelton.
Those five remaining candidates are scheduled to receive a second interview with Mets officials, if they haven’t already, and all of them bring similar attributes to the table. None of those five hopefuls have managed in the majors, but a few of them have experience managing on the professional level. All of those candidates will carry some degree of a learning curve when adjusting to a new dugout, an unfamiliar staff and a young team.
The final decision could come down to personality, an open-door approach to analytics and a willingness to guide a win-now team into October baseball.
Van Wagenen and the Wilpons appear to be taking their time, being cautious and careful, before landing on a replacement for Mickey Callaway. The slow course of action and diligent process is to be admired, as long as the Mets do not lose sight of the more important tasks at hand — like building a complete roster with which a new manager can feel empowered.