Adam Rubin of ESPN New York says that lame-duck Mets manager Terry Collins is not facing unemployment. That is not to say his return as Mets manager will be a slam dunk for 2014, but the odds are heavily in his favor.
A source familiar with the situation told Rubin, that while team officials do not intend to commit to re-signing Collins until after the season, there is internal respect for how he has navigated this season’s challenges and a “strong expectation” he will continue to manage the club in 2014.
The main reason Sandy Alderson will hold off on any announcement is to ensure the team doesn’t fade as badly as they have in the last two years.
Entering tonight’s game, Collins has the Mets ten games under .500 with a 62-72 record. Overall, the Mets are 213-245 under Collins as he wraps up his third season.
With a fifth straight losing season looming, Collins has continued to stay on the good side of the front office and mostly because he’s been a good soldier and follows their rules. Sandy Alderson repeatedly has said Collins will be judged by more than the Mets’ position in the standings.
“My role is to balance the short term with the long term. I have said before and would reiterate that how Terry is evaluated is beyond simply wins and losses,” said the Mets GM. “We’ve talked about that before. To the extent that it’s perceived that this will make it more difficult to win, and I don’t necessarily hold to that belief, obviously all the circumstances will be taken into account.”
I fully expect Terry Collins to sign a multi-year deal as soon as the season ends, in fact, the very next day…
The announcement be Sandy’s first order of business and immediately followed by his annual post-season ritual with Mike Francesa on WFAN, where together they will begin beating the drums of the 2014 Mets marketing campaign.
Do you have any 2014 Mets slogans you would like to submit for consideration?
