Before the process of searching a new General Manager started, the Mets had indicated they wanted to retain Mickey Callaway as the team’s manager, but ultimately, they said they were going to leave that decision with whomever the team hired. With Brodie Van Wagenen officially retained as the 13th General Manager in team history, Van Wagenen finally had the opportunity to publicly state Callaway was going to remain on as the Mets manager.
When the question was posed to him after the press conference, Van Wagenen said, “I view Mickey as a tremendously positive person, and that is what I’m going to try to create here.” Van Wagenen indicated he had already spoke with Callaway over the past few days, and he will continue to do so.
Last year, with Callaway’s first season at the helm, the Mets were 77-85. While there were some noted missteps, including handing in the wrong batting order for a game, there were some positive signs.
In addition to Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler taking their games to the next level, Amed Rosario showed marked improvement as the season progressed. Perhaps more impressive than that was the Mets having the best record in the National League East in the second half of the season. It is all the more impressive when you consider how the team traded away Jeurys Familia and Asdrubal Cabrera, had key players like Yoenis Cespedes on the disabled list, and were not in a postseason race.
While Van Wagenen did say he will keep Callaway and did state one of the reasons why he wanted to keep him on as manager, Van Wagenen did not say anything about the rest of the coaching staff. It will be interesting to see if Van Wagnenen and the Mets make any changes to both the coaching staff and the composition of the front office.
