The New York Mets tell Edgardo Alfonzo his services are no longer required after a very successful campaign with the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Edgardo Alfonzo led the Brooklyn Cyclones to their first-ever New York-Penn League title in 2019. That was not enough to secure another contract from the New York Mets. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Alfonzo has been told his contract will not be renewed for the 2020 season.
The Mets have told Edgardo Alfonzo his contract won’t be renewed. Alfonzo was manager at Class A Brooklyn, which won the New York-Penn League championship this season.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) October 17, 2019
This comes as a shock after Alfonzo’s tremendously successful 2019 season. Many fans and pundits believed Alfonzo could potentially be considered for the Mets managerial position. Instead, Alfonzo has been let go, and for a rather ridiculous reason.
Alfonzo was told by Mets brass that the new regime wants to bring in its own people.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) October 17, 2019
It seems absurd that general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and the Mets decision-makers are letting a championship-winning manager walk simply because they didn’t hire him. Yet, that seems to be exactly what the Mets are doing.
It is not yet known who will replace Alfonzo at the helm of the Cyclones. However, it is worth noting that short-season jobs are often given to recently retired players just starting out in their coaching careers.
One person who might be considered for the position is former Met, Endy Chavez. Chavez was hired prior to the 2019 season as the Cyclones outfield coach.
Chavez has many connections to the Mets’ current leadership and was hired by this regime. It stands to reason that he will at least be a candidate, though there are no reports on any potential replacements yet.
The Mets could also be interested in making a splash with their next Cyclones manager. The Wilpons love to send top prospects and former players to Brooklyn as often as possible. They want to make Brooklyn a desirable destination for Mets fans.
It’s entirely possible the Mets are looking to bring in a name that puts fans in the seats. It’s also possible that the Mets simply don’t believe that Alfonzo was the right fit and have someone else in mind for the job.
Puma is reporting that Alfonzo has accepted a new role as a “club ambassador.”
