New York Mets: Is the managerial job even attractive?

As the league-wide managerial search wanes down, only a select few teams remain with a managerial vacancy. One of the most interesting vacancies remaining is that of the New York Mets.

The New York Mets search has seemingly been one of the most covered storylines in the last few weeks, as their brain trust has lead in a cavalcade of candidates of all sorts. Brodie Van Wagenen and the Wilpons have barely widdled down this procession of prospective managers.

It may defy logic, however, the Mets have gone from their second round of interviews to their third-round without eliminating any known candidates. Reporting on this managerial search has been a paradox, in which there are “bombshell” candidates and secret candidates around every bend.

Despite all of this, there are quite a few names interested- yes, it is one of only thirty jobs like it in the world, but for instance, the Pittsburgh Pirates vacancy is not generating nearly as much traction. They may not be the Yankees- or in the upper echelon of the sport for that matter- yet this current Mets club is far from being bereft of talent or a future.

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Jacob deGrom headlines their staff and having one of the top three pitchers in the entirety of the sport is far from a flaw. The rest of the rotation is somewhat in flux- even though Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, and Steven Matz would make for a nice rotation, there is a severe dearth at this position.

The bullpen is as caustic as any in the league and will require an enormous amount of patchwork. The intention here is not to become a diatribe against GM Brodie Van Wagenen, however, he made a dumpster fire of a bullpen into a raging forest fire. He not only invested years into Jeurys Familia and Edwin Diaz, but he also surrendered one of the organization’s most prized assets in the process.

That can be rectified with a touch of ingenuity and some savvy signings during the winter. There are a number of relievers to be had in the free-agent market and perhaps a creative trade can relieve them of the burden of either Diaz or Familia, as it is entirely uncertain if either could ever be seriously relied upon.

The offense was rarely the issue in 2018, as soon to be National League Rookie of the Year, Pete Alonso, providing to be an indomitable force. A full season of Jeff McNeil and an expanded role for J.D. Davis proved enormous dividends as well.

Most of the offseason resources must be poured into the rotation and bullpen, leaving enough room to add an outfielder or possibly a third baseman to the mix. The pressing loss of Zack Wheeler cannot be ignored, as he was pivotal for setting the New York Mets up with a very impressive rotation.

Now without Wheeler and with essentially no depth- due to the Diaz and Stroman deals- the Mets must look outside of the organization for at least one more starter. It seemingly defies reason to not make a serious bid to retain Wheeler, yet the self-imposed financial restrictions of the Mets will not easily be conquered.

A quick gander at the New York Mets situation will reveal all of this and more to a prospective managerial candidate. Therefore, he might surmise that there is clearly enough talent on the active roster with years of control to justify pursuing this position.

There has also is enough complexity with the front office and ownership in mind for a candidate to not solely pursue the Mets’ opening. Thus leaving this opening, similarly to their record last season, straight in the middle.

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They neither have the roster to build a multi-year playoff contender nor one heading for a rebuild. They lack the stability of most teams, yet they are in the biggest market which many find attractive. In the end, they are an organization of contradictions that is tempting to many, yet probably not the highest echelon of a candidate.

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