James Click. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
According to Bob Nightingale of the USA Today, there are two candidates emerging for the New York Mets next general manager job. The two names mentioned in the report published Sunday are former Philadelphia Phillies’ general manager Matt Klentak and former Houston Astros’ general manager James Click.
Klentak served as the Phillies’ general manager from 2015 through 2020 before he stepped down from the position. Over that time, the Phillies logged five below-.500 seasons and one .500 season. Granted, when he took over, the Phillies were mired in a deep rebuild and Klentak helped improve the team’s record virtually every year during his reign.
Prior to the Phillies, the 43-year-old worked in the Colorado Rockies baseball operations department, in Major League Baseball’s labor relations department, with the Baltimore Orioles as director of baseball operations, and then was hired in 2011 to be the assistant general manger for the Los Angeles Angels.
As for James Click, he currently works with the Toronto Blue Jays in a vice president role. Previously, he was the Houston Astros’ general manager from 2020 until 2022. During his tenure, the Astros appeared in two World Series, wining the Fall Classic in 2022. Prior to that, he was with the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization for years, before becoming vice president of baseball operations in 2017.
With the hiring of president of baseball operations David Stearns, the Mets are now reportedly in the market for a general manager to work under Stearns. Former Mets’ general manager Billy Eppler was believed set to fulfill that role, however, in recent days he resigned from the position.
Also, mentioned in Nightingale’s article, former Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon is reportedly saying he would love to manage the Mets. Maddon, now 69 years old, has spent 19 years in the league as manger. He won the World Series as manager of the Cubs in 2016. He was let go by the Angels during the 2022 season. At the time of his firing the team had a 27-29 record.
