COLLINS IT QUITS
PHILADELPHIA — Terry Collins beat everyone to the punch.
Instead of waiting for the Mets to announce that his contract as manager won’t be renewed for next season, the 68-year-old Collins resigned following his team’s 11-0 loss to the Phillies in Sunday’s season finale.
Collins’ resignation punctuated a disastrous season for the Mets, who finished 70-92 and fourth in the NL East after expecting to compete for a third straight postseason berth. Collins, who was 551-583 with the Amazin’s, will remain in the organization in an undefined front-office role.
“It’s been a blast, but it’s time,” Collins said, choking up as he tried to fight back tears.
Collins said he had recent discussions with general manager Sandy Alderson and spoke Sunday with co-owner Fred Wilpon and COO Jeff Wilpon, leading to his decision to step aside.
Would Collins have returned as manager if the team offered him a new contract?
“I don’t know if I had it in me right now,” Collins said. “But right now I am going to get some rest and figure out how to help out down the road.”
Alderson indicated Collins, who has an extensive background in player development, may assist with the farm system.
“From our standpoint I think we are at the end of a seven-year run and we need to make a change in direction,” Alderson said. “That’s often code phrase for changing positions and jobs, and that I think is what we foresee here.”
Team brass will begin the search for Collins’ successor immediately. As The Post has reported for the last week, Robin Ventura, Kevin Long, Joe McEwing, Alex Cora, Bob Geren and Chip Hale are among the candidates for the job.
But Alderson, who announced his own plans to return for next season — his contract was set to expire — will first address the coaching staff. It’s expected pitching coach Dan Warthen, as The Post has reported, will be a casualty after nine-plus years in his position.
“That’s the unavoidable fallout from a change in manager is that coaching positions become question marks,” Alderson said. “Then we will start in earnest over the next few days [interviewing managerial candidates]. We certainly don’t want to waste any time.”
Alderson cited leadership as the most important trait he will seek in the next manager.
“[Leadership] is probably the most critical aspect of a manager’s résumé,” Alderson said.
Collins, the longest-tenured manager in franchise history, guided the Mets to the 2015 World Series and a National League wild-card berth in ’16, but watched the team crater this season with a roster decimated by injuries. Five times in Collins’ seven seasons the Mets finished with a losing record.
The manager’s resignation followed discord between Collins and the front office in recent seasons, particularly about the manner in which the Mets bullpen was utilized.
“I think Terry Collins has the hardest job, second to being the President of the United States,” Noah Syndergaard said. “I think it’s kind of unfair what Terry and [Warthen] are going through.”
Collins said Jeurys Familia’s absence was the toughest blow for the Mets to absorb this season. The AllStar closer began the season with a suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy and then underwent surgery in May to remove a blood clot from his right shoulder, sidelining him for three months.
“It affected so much,” Collins said. “We didn’t have him for 20 days and then we had him for two games and then all of a sudden for the next three months we had to rearrange the bullpen. That was a tough one because it affected so many more guys than just finding another spot starter.”
One year ago Sunday, the Mets popped champagne corks in this same visitors’ clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park to celebrate the team clinching a wild-card berth.
“It’s baseball,” Collins said. “I have spent my whole life in it, and there’s good days, bad days, good weeks, bad weeks, good years and bad years. You have got to be able to deal with them all. You can’t just ride the wave all the time, so we’ll move on.”