Rojas could flourish under new Mets brass

The abundance of support for Luis Rojas within the Mets clubhouse ranged from wanting to run through a wall for the manager, to applauding his great baseball mind. No matter how players assessed his first year as a major-league manager, one thing was clear: Luis Rojas was a popular and constructive voice in the Mets’ failed 2020 season.

“They’re a really good group of guys,” Rojas said of Mets players last month. “They’re talented, they’re very professional, they’re very approachable. I think our level of communication is very high. That helped a lot this year.”

In any other offseason, his return to the helm would be more certain than it is now — against the backdrop of an impending change of ownership.

Rojas did what the front office wanted, carried out lineup decisions from a tiny analytics team, executed standard in-game adjustments, avoided media meltdowns, and maintained relationships with his players and bosses. It was a solid year for a rookie skipper who only learned of his new job title a few weeks before spring training and navigated an unprecedented pandemic baseball season.

He even managed to avoid whispering about his bosses over a hot mic, and Rojas would speak to reporters twice a day on game days. That’s 120 press conferences without a brutal mess up — in the age of Zoom-only interviews. It might seem like a low bar, but around Flushing that’s a rare class.

Yes, the last-place Mets (26-34) — which failed to reach the postseason for the 17th time this century — departed from their 2020 expectations. But this year’s unfortunate outcome cannot entirely be placed on Rojas’ shoulders.

“When you have a manager like Luis, you want to run through a wall for him,” Dominic Smith said.

For instance, one of Rojas’ starting lineups while the Mets were still vying for a final spot in the expanded playoffs included outfielder Guillermo Heredia, a Pittsburgh Pirates defect with a career .660 OPS. On another occasion, Rojas was forced to choose between righthanders Ariel Jurado or Franklyn Kilome to compensate for the team’s lackluster starting pitching depth. The roster depth Rojas was handed by his GM Brodie Van Wagenen, whose hands were budgetarily tied behind his back upon torching the Mets’ farm system, was substandard.

It would be fascinating to see how Rojas fares with a healthy big-league pitching staff, an advanced analytics team and a front office that grants him freedom and doesn’t meddle. Some of the 39-year-old’s top moments as manager arrived when he spoke candidly of his team’s shortcomings and made visible his vast baseball knowledge. It’s fair to wonder whether Rojas could flourish when working in tandem with a sophisticated staff or, better yet, taken off the leash. Enter: Steve Cohen.

The hedge-fund whiz signed last month an agreement to purchase the Mets and majority approval from MLB owners, the final hurdle before crossing the finish line, is expected to come soon. Cohen, if approved, already said he would make former Mets GM Sandy Alderson the team president under his reign. Alderson would assume the duties of current Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. It is still unclear who Cohen and Alderson would prefer as GM — whether that’s the current position holder in Van Wagenen or someone else entirely.

Cohen is still publicly undecided on his choice of manager. But the prospective owner is expected to induce a deluge of changes within the organization, from staff shakeups to financial flexibility. With all those modifications, it may make sense to keep a familiar face around that players have already dubbed a strong communicative leader.

Rojas, for what it’s worth, is approaching this offseason as if he will continue being the Mets manager in 2021.

“I’m going into the offseason confident that I’m going to be the manager of the team next year and that I’m going to be here for the guys,” Rojas said on the final day of the regular season. “We’re going to be here competing again and we’re going to be coaching and we’re going to be doing all the things we do to get the team prepared.

“That’s what my goal is starting tomorrow, to keep getting better as a coach, as a manager, to help the guys to be put into the best position they can be to succeed.”

Alderson and Rojas first crossed paths in the minors when Rojas coached and eventually managed the Savannah Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League. Rojas led the Gnats to a league championship title in 2013 with a roster that included Alderson’s draft picks Brandon Nimmo and Seth Lugo. Alderson became Mets GM in 2010 before departing in 2018 due to recurring health problems.

Rojas, whose Mets tenure predates Alderson’s arrival to the organization, said their interactions derived from “a really good, professional relationship.” The Mets skipper has been described as someone who gets along with everyone, and it’s easy enough to see Alderson’s progressive ethos blending with Rojas’ baseball savvy.

But maybe the impending front-office group led by Cohen and Alderson, and the GM they choose to designate, will bring in their own manager. Perhaps, Cohen prefers to start anew. That’s a risk Rojas seemed very much aware of, while at the same time unworried, as his 2020 Mets ended their disappointing season. Rojas didn’t hesitate when asked about his job security. He was straightforward and unwavering in his confidence.

A breakout season and a batting title put two stars from the Big Apple in the running for one of MLB’s most prestigious awards.

Dominic Smith and DJ LeMahieu were named two of the 14 finalists for this year’s Hank Aaron Award, which is given to each league’s top offensive contributor.

Smith built on an encouraging 2019 season as a Mets role player shadowing by emerging as an everyday force in Queens. The 25-year-old first baseman hit .316 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. Smith slugged .616, fourth in the National League, and edged out Pete Alonso for the majority of playing time at first base.

Meanwhile, LeMahieu’s performance was in many ways superior to his stellar 2019 campaign, where he finished fourth in the American League MVP voting. The veteran infielder posted a .364 batting average, tops in baseball, making him the first to win batting titles in both leagues. LeMahieu posted career highs in OBP (.421) and slugging percentage (.590) in the final year of his two-year deal with the Yankees and is expected to be one of the most enticing names in free agency.