With the Mets getting swept by the Marlins, things are officially worse than anyone could have believed it would be. There are so many things wrong with this team right now that eventually you wonder if Mickey Callaway is the right man for the job. He’s certainly on the hot seat, and the question before us all is if we were in Brodie Van Wagenen’s shoes, would we fire Callaway:

Marshall Field – Team Not Prepared to Play

A good manager must be more than someone who can manipulate X’s and O’s or know when to take a pitcher out or double switch etc. A good manager knows how to motivate his players and prepare for a long 162-game season. Realizing that these players have guaranteed contracts and that some are prima donnas, there is still no excuse for a team to show up mentally unprepared to play. For the last week or so, I have seen the words ‘listless’. unfocused’ ‘unprepared’ used to describe the Mets especially against the weaker teams they have been playing. There is NEVER an excuse for that, and unfortunately much of the blame has to fall on the manager. I know the Mets have some injury issues, but that still does not excuse unpreparedness. So to answer the question by our moderator, YES I would replace Callaway in deference to a mature, experienced manager who knows how to get the best out of his team. This losing streak is certainly not all Callaway’s fault, but he is not blameless here either. Experts in baseball say that Memorial Day is the first real-time you can take stock of the early season. Well. Memorial Day is fast approaching and right now the Mets have under-performed and under-achieved. We need new dugout leadership.

Jack Hendon – Mickey’s Unfit, But . . .

I think it’s become clear that Mickey’s unfit to manage a winning baseball team. With that said, I don’t know what the Mets would gain by firing him now beyond the obligatory act of “sending a message.” Chili Davis would still be the team’s hitting coach, Jason Vargas and his four innings per week would still be in this rotation. The lineup would still depend on names like Todd Frazier and Juan Lagares. The bench would still have three out of five spots occupied by defensive specialists. Jim Riggleman has no experience managing any team into the postseason, for that matter. Firing Callaway would effectively leave him a martyr in a season that has spiraled and will continue to spiral out of control. I’m not trying to make it sound like it doesn’t matter, but the signs point to it having little impact in the long-run, because this team is running out of time and has opted not to make tangible personnel improvements over the past two and a half years – well before Callaway even came into the picture.

Mojo Hill – Riggleman Not the Answer Either

While Callaway certainly deserves criticism, they have bigger problems than him right now. Replacing Callaway with someone like Jim Riggleman isn’t going to magically make everything perfect. The Mets simply just need to play better, and changing managers won’t do much, if anything at all.

Matt Mancuso – Fire Chili

start off the year. This is an upper-level management problem and an insistence in not effectively spending their money. Many of the team’s offseason acquisitions have bombed and while Callaway isn’t at fault for their disappointing performances, he will still appear as the scapegoat to the media and their fans. While he’s definitely made a few questionable calls at times, it’s not entirely his fault that the Mets have fallen to below .500. If anyone should get axed, it should be hitting coach Chili Davis. The Mets main problem has been their offense, and Callaway should not get faulted for this.

Andrew Percoco – Not the Right Man

Mickey has to go. He’s not hitting or pitching, but he refused to bench Cano TWICE. He had no urgency is yesterday’s game. He is not the right man to lead the Mets. However, no matter whose in charge, it’s the WILPONS who should be axed once and for all. When the consistency in losing is the same owner who won’t spend money, it’s on them, not all their scapegoats

Tim Ryder – Team Quit on Him

I would part ways at this point. The team clearly quit on him this weekend. If he can’t motivate his players, it’s time to move on.

Dilip Sridhar – It’s Reshuffling the Deck Chairs

Callaway has not been a good manager and has not shown an ability to play to run expectancy. He questionably subscribed to Chili Davis‘ offensive philosophy. That said, changing the manager won’t change much. Will Jim Riggleman make Cano and Ramos play better? No. Will he improve the bullpen? No. It’s a type of move to show the team you’re trying to win but it’s like re-shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

John Sheridan – Why Bother?

If I was Brodie Van Wagenen, there is no way I fire Callaway. Mike Puma of the NY Post said himself the media is focusing on Callaway and not Van Wagenen or the Wilpons. They won’t do that until Callaway is gone. If I was Van Wagenen, why would I remove the human shield in front of me?

It’s not like the next guys is coming with Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel. He’s not going to be the first manager in 15 years to get Robinson Cano to hustle. Considering Ponce de Leon never found the Fountain of Youth, it’s not like the next manager is going to have a solution for Cano, Jed Lowrie, Todd Frazier, Wilson Ramos, or Jason Vargas.

No, this team is bad because the team is bad. The team hasn’t quit on Callaway, they’re just terrible. Look at the lineup Callaway was forced to play yesterday. The final four batters were Adeiny Hechavarria – Juan Lagares – Tomas Nido – Noah Syndergaard. We’re all going to sit here and pretend that team had a legitimate chance of scoring enough runs to win that game?

Overwhelmingly, our writers are in favor of firing Callaway much like the fanbase and media are. Do you agree? We look forward to continue this discussion in the comments.