Tim Britton (Mets beat writer) and Matt Gelb (Phillies beat writer) of the Athletic had an informative discussion published on Friday about whether the Phillies or Mets were a more desirable destination for an inquiry manager.
The Phillies fired manager Gabe Kapler and the Mets fired manager Mickey Callaway, both after two years on the job. They are now both looking for their next managers as they hope to catch the Braves and Nationals in a tough division. At this time, Joe Girardi is the only prospective manager that has interviewed for both openings.
Girardi has been reported to be one of the three finalists for the Phillies job, along with veterans Dusty Baker and Buck Showalter. The Mets have put out a much wider net, interviewing Girardi, Luis Rojas, Mike Bell, Carlos Beltran, Eduardo Perez and being tied to a slew of other names such as Tim Bogar and Derek Shelton.
Britton and Gelb went over many different issues with both teams – and some that overlapped like stability – with one from Britton particularly catching my eye, “[Mets] assistant general manager Adam Guttridge was a regular part of conversations about the lineup and bullpen usage.”
Guttridge was named the assistant general manager and systematic development for the Mets in November, 2018. He co-founded NEIFI Analytics, a sports data analysis company, in 2015. Before that, he worked with the Brewers for six seasons including the last two as manager of baseball research and development.
It’s long-been assumed – as with many teams in 2019 – that the front office was having influence into the daily decisions that Callaway made during his time with the Mets.
We also know that GM Brodie Van Wagenen sent a text instructing Callaway to take out ace Jacob deGrom during a game in early June. A game that deGrom left with a hip cramp (DeGrom said he was fine) and the bullpen blew a 4-1 lead. Callaway was vilified after the game for his decision to yank deGrom after only 89 pitches (tied for his season-low).
Of course, the conservation of money came up when discussing what the Mets would/could do with Gelb saying, “The money is always going to separate the Phillies. It’s why this was an attractive job for a GM after 2015 because the franchise was viewed as a sleeping giant in the post-glory years.”
The Phillies have shown the willingness recently to spend – giving Bryce Harper $330 million and giving out numerous lucrative deals to relievers – whatever they need to in an effort to win now.
As Britton noted recently, it’s tough to imagine the Mets spending much in terms of payroll this offseason and that could certainly deter a big-name candidate like Girardi. There’s also a question of whether or not the Mets would give Girardi the type of money he’s looking for; his last deal with the Yankees was four-years, $16 million.
Questions that arise for the Mets potential next manager start with how comfortable are you dealing with the front office on a daily basis over playing time and usage decisions? Then there’s always the next question of how will you deal with meddlesome owners?
