The New York Mets today announced that manager Terry Collins and the club have agreed on a two-year contract that extends through the 2017 season.
“We all thought Terry did a masterful job managing the team and he’s earned this contract,” said General Manager Sandy Alderson. “The team never lost focus and was always ready to respond to challenges. He’s the perfect leader to take us to the next step, which is to win championships.”
Collins, 66, guided the 2015 Mets to their first National League pennant and World Series appearance since 2000 in his fifth season as the club’s manager. The Mets’ 90 wins during the regular season were the most since 2006 and it marked the 11th time in team history that New York reached the 90-win plateau. He also guided the team to a franchise record-tying 11-game win streak from April 12-23. Following the season, Collins was voted the Sporting News NL Manager of the Year.
“I want to thank Fred Wilpon, Saul Katz, Jeff Wilpon and Sandy for giving me this opportunity,” Collins said. “I greatly appreciate the support from the front office and fans.”
“The organization is in the right place to win and advance into the postseason,” Collins added. “This extension is a tribute to our players, our coaches and our entire organization. We have a great blend of youngsters and veterans. They played hard and played for each other. This season was my most rewarding year in my career.”
Both Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins told reporters during their press conference that they have higher expectations for the team going in 2016 compared to a year ago.
“Last year our expectations were a winning season and potentially making the playoffs. We made it to the World Series this season and our expectation is to go back,” Alderson said.
They also added that the entire coaching staff will be back next season, although there could be one defection as bench coach Bob Geren is interviewing for the vacant manager position for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There were a few other issues that came up regarding the rotation and Matt Harvey, whether they will put more focus on defense, and what the offseason strategy could be. I’ll cover those individually later today.
