Joe Girardi’s exit has put the Yankees at the forefront of New York headlines, which has hurt the Mets in more ways than one.
It seemed like the New York Mets were having an unflappable week after they made the Mickey Callaway signing official. The team had just brought in a pitching mogul who was excited to get started with world-class pitching talent.
Callaway is young and his future in management looks bright, and that sentiment is backed by the many glowing reviews from former players and his former boss, Cleveland manager Terry Francona.
And the Girardi news does not change any of these feelings about Callaway. He’s still a charismatic leader that garners respect from his players. He still seems well equipped to handle the duties of being a major league manager.
But, what the Girardi firing does accomplish is a change in the perception about the Mets and how they handled the manager position.
There’s not much that needs to be defended on Girardi’s resume. The former catcher managed a Yankees team with little-to-no playoff expectations to within a few innings of a World Series appearance.
And that feat did not come without its challenges. He routinely helped his young players by instilling confidence in them while also putting them in positions to succeed.
Beyond this year, Girardi put together a spectacular resume with the Yankees. Few managers can boast of 910 wins and a World Series victory in a 10-year stint.
All of this is to say that Joe should be regarded as a top-five manager in the game today. And that’s where the Mets come in.
The Mets have a window here in the next three years to make their World Series run. The organization did not even conduct a second round of interviews before pulling the trigger on Callaway.
This should be considered a mistake. When you have the chance to hire one of the game’s best managers for your current vacancy, you at least need to have him in for an interview.
But the Mets lacked patience and jumped the gun. Although Callaway seems qualified, he’s a former pitching coach and has no experience managing a big league roster.
Girardi is a World Champion, and his possible availability should have been taken more seriously by the Mets.
So here’s why it spells gloom for the Mets. Now that Girardi is available, the Mets hiring of Callaway has already been subjected to second-guessing by fans and the media.
Can the #Mets hire Joe Girardi today and make Callaway the pitching coach??
— Brian Monzo (@BMonzoWFAN) October 26, 2017
So not only did they miss out on having Girardi in their building but now the previously “strong” hiring of Mickey Callaway has begun to be questioned.
To add on, the Mets are losing the headlines they made earlier this week. This 2017 season was supposed to see the Mets own New York.
The Mets had all the expectations and the Yankees were rebuilding. That notion was quickly turned on its head, which made it all the more important for the Mets to make headlines this week with their new manager.
It stirred up the idea that the Mets might be back again for more in 2018. There was legitimate excitement in the air for this team to be relevant again.
Now that Girardi is the headline, the Mets look like they made yet another poor decision, and the Yankees are again the talk of the town.
So there you have it. Even when the Mets seem to win with an exciting managerial hire, they lose.
