By Joe D.

Andy Martino of SNY reports that multiple sources connected to the Mets say they would be surprised if manager Mickey Callaway is not fired at the end of the season.

It’s always tough to fire a manager who is as personable and likable as Mickey Callaway. I felt the same way about Terry Collins before him.

However, I do believe it’s time to move on from Callaway and the Mets really need to take a strong look at bringing in a seasoned manager who can make better in-game decisions.

Let me be perfectly clear that I like Mickey and I have to give him a lot of credit for the how the team bounced back after being 11 games under .500 at one point this season.

The way the team battled back and rebounded in the second half of the season, showed how well the players responded to Callaway and how they never gave up. The team showed a lot of heart and a lot of resiliency and I do credit Mickey for a lot of that.

My primary issue with Callaway is that he’s simply a very poor in-game manager. Too many times we saw the Mets snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this season (and last) and in many of those instances the chief culprit was a bad decision that backfired by Callaway. We can no longer afford to giveaway games like that.

I’ve said this for the last couple of months, but this current Mets team has a very legitimate chance to be a playoff team next season.

I fully expect GM Brodie Van Wagenen to focus on revamping the bullpen this winter and figuring out if we’re going to re-sign Zack Wheeler or find another solution to replace him in the rotation. That’s the easy part…

But the Mets can’t stop there. We have to replace Callaway with a better in-game strategist can take this team to the postseason and beyond beginning in 2020. The Mickey Callaway experiment isn’t working.

I’m not advocating making a change for the sake of change,  that’s not it at all.

I’m talking about replacing Callaway with an experienced manager who has made the rounds with a solid reputation as a strategist.

I want someone with a track record of winning and with a good grasp of analytics. Someone like Joe Girardi who is expected to be available and is ready to manage again.

I’m tired of seeing Callaway get out-managed and losing all those tight one and two run games.

I’m tired of seeing the bullpen being mismanaged as frequently as it has and costing us games despite a solid starting pitching performance.

No more gut punch losses.

Callaway has cost the Mets at least 5-6 games that a stronger manager would have likely won with better decision making, and that’s being conservative.  Those 5-6 games are partly why the Mets are on the outside looking in.

There’s no valid excuse for this team not being in the postseason when you consider the incredible performances by Jacob deGrom, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Seth Lugo, Amed Rosario and Michael Conforto. This should’ve been a 90 win team at least.

We have a very short window of opportunity to try and compete for that third Mets championship. We can no longer afford to squander away wins by a manager who refuses to evolve and learn from his mistakes.

It’s time we had a solid in-game manager that will get the most out of his players, while also making better decisions on the field during the game. Decisions based on a sound analytical approach and that draws from years of managing experience.

No more managers in training.  We need real experience for a real contender.

Mickey, you made the last two months of the season fun and exciting, and you groomed many of our young kids into fine ballplayers. I applaud you for that. But it’s time for you to go and I wish you the best.

LGM