While he is signed only through the end of next season, it appears that Terry Collins‘ job is safe heading into the off season. According to CBS’s John Heyman, Collins has the support of ownership and is all but certain to be back with the club next season.
Since taking over the Mets in 2010, the team has won a high of 79 games. That was in 2010. Since then, the Mets have fallen short of that mark each and every season. The low came during the last two seasons when the Mets won just 74 games. Now it seems that the Mets have a chance to break through that 79 game peak.
With half a month of baseball to be played, the team stands at 72 wins. It’s conceivable that they could reach 79 or even 80 with a strong finish. That strong finish appears to be one of the reasons the club will likely bring Collins back for a sixth season. According to one unnamed member of the front office, they’d be “shocked” if Collins didn’t return.
The question I’ve always raised is, if not Collins then who. You aren’t going to fire Collins, who has worked with this young team, developing guys like Lucas Duda, Juan Lagares and Daniel Murphy, and then fire him for an unproven commodity. If a guy like Mike Scioscia (Angels) or Joe Maddon (Rays) suddenly became available then I’d feel differently. But those guys aren’t going anywhere and the free agent talent among managers isn’t exactly blowing anyone away.
It appears Collins will be back for 2015 but if the Mets stumble out of the gates, the pressure will be on the ownership and Sandy Alderson to give him the hook and bring in a fresh face.
