5:58pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that Collins is getting a two-year deal.
4:30pm: The Mets have hired Terry Collins as their next manager, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Collins, 61, has a wealth of experience as a minor league and major league manager as well as managing experience from Japan. He managed the Astros from 1994-1996, as well as the Angels from 1997-1999, but resigned with 29 games left in the season. He spent the 2010 season as the Mets' minor league field coordinator.
Other candidates for the job included Bob Melvin and Chip Hale, but Rosenthal first tweeted that Melvin was out of the running, and SI's Jon Heyman followed that up shortly after with a tweet saying that Hale was out of the running as well. Fanhouse's Ed Price tweets that Melvin is unlikely to remain with the club in a different role.
Prepare yourselves, Mets fans. This IS our offseason.
:-/
Better this than signing waiverbait to multiyear, multimillion dollar deals
You’re damn right, pal!
I can’t joke, since the Minaya period is over. It could be worse. Minaya would have signed Kevin Gregg to a 3/20m deal.
and he would have traded Angel Pagan to free up 500K, then signed Jayson Werth to a 5/90 deal.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
After what I read about him and his teams’ conflicts, I just hope Collins can keep the team under control. And himself.
WAT?! Y NO WALLY BACKMAN?!
Ill-experienced and heard he’s a weird guy…not a fit just yet for the club.
Congrats Mets fans, something positive!
….I think….
I just don’t want to hear about any boxing matches in the clubhouse before or after games! We had enough of that with K-Rod.
at least wear gloves…
But seriously though, everytime I go to Citi Field and I don’t have school, I go to the enterance and players lot to say hi to the Mets players walking in and visiting players walking in, and it’s always nice to see everyone…player, coach, manager, whoever…It’s going to be awesome saying hi to Terry Collins and I have a good feeling about this…Citi Field is one of my favorite places in the world and hopefully, just hopefully, he will play an integral part in reviving the great history and organization, that of the Mets…cross your fingers Baseball fans and of course Mets fans, this is a great Baseball move.
I’ve never seen you dislike any move. Weren’t you pushing for Backman?
I was pushing for Backman, as were my fellow Citi Fielders, but I thought about it and like this move.
What makes you like this move. He’s been a failure in the past and was removed via player petition.
Everyone deserves a fresh start, and his heirarchy are good people…Sandy’s a smart guy.
Agreed. If Alderson gave him the nod after in-depth interviews w/several good candidates, at least give the guy a chance before you shoot him down. I was kind of hoping Hurdle would land the gig at the outset. But surprisingly, the Pirates quickly hired him away. (Still wondering how that happened and how that will play out!) Also glad Oquendo is staying with STL. Of the remaining candidates, I was pulling for Collins. Hiring Alderson was a great move. Let’s hope this hire continues the improvement within the Mets’ organization.
Agreed. If Alderson gave him the nod after in-depth interviews w/several good candidates, at least give the guy a chance before you shoot him down. I was kind of hoping Hurdle would land the gig at the outset. But surprisingly, the Pirates quickly hired him away. (Still wondering how that happened and how that will play out!) Also glad Oquendo is staying with STL. Of the remaining candidates, I was pulling for Collins. Hiring Alderson was a great move. Let’s hope this hire continues the improvement within the Mets’ organization.
You’re a Braves fan man take your bias elsewhere. Let us rejoice in the fact that the Mets accomplished something dude lol
I actually try to be as unbiased as possible. I was just curious as to why a Mets’ fan though this was a good move when Collins has had problems connecting to players in the past. I thought Bob Melvin may have been the better choice. He seems to me to be more of a company man, someone that will be more likely to follow exactly what Alderson wants.
Collins is a no-nonsense guy and the past few years have been all about the mets lacking discipline and basically the inmates were running the asylum
Dude if he thinks it’s a good idea then let him. I agree, of course we all preferred Wally but Sandy knows what he’s doing and I commend him for making this choice. But that’s none of your business, you’re a Braves fan so you’ll never fully understand where any of us are coming from. The past is the past, move on. I’m sure Collins has learned from his mistakes.
Cmon dude .. give him a chance
Fredi was a failure in the past too.
I don’t think an entire team ever conspired to get him fired.
but, Fredi hasn’t done much in his carrer so don’t talk about mangers until 2011 is over.
Excuse me, I can talk about whatever I please. Collins has obviously had problems connecting to his players in the past, therefore I don’t think he was the best choice for the Mets job. Doug Melvin doesn’t invoke an extreme response from people, and I think low-key is what the Mets need while they go through what’s almost certain to be a building/re-building process.
low-key? after willie and jerry? no more low-key please. i know the mets are in a different situation now, but it’s not a total re-building process. i for one think a no nonsense manager is what this team needs, especially with all the young guys who are going to have important roles on the team in the next couple seasons.
i have been pulling for wally since art howe was canned. u give wally the talent the mets had in 05-08…and the mets have 3 straight division titles..maybe a wild card…and more than likely a WS ring in 06..
Good news! He comes in with a clean slate, doesn’t have to be beholding to any of the players and can run the team as he sees fit. Old school manager that will hold everyone accountable. Good Luck to him.
you mean run the team as sandy sees fit.
Sandy will give him marching orders. Collins will run the team everyday.
Cmon dude .. give him a chance
I’m only going by what the media has portrayed, at this point it seems that Sandy wanted someone he could have firm control over. To run the team as HE sees fit. Nothing crazy, by the book baseball.
Me personally, this isn’t what I wanted. What I wanted was the crazy mofo in the playing for peanuts documentary. That had players in the media saying how much Wally Backman demands from his players and how they really inspired them to play hard. (I’m referring to Dan Uggla).
Alderson is the boss, everyone has a boss, Backman needs more time considering his past
as a jays fan im glad wakamatsu didnt get the job since he just got hired as our bench coach and mentor for back catcher J.P Arencibia
Expected this one. Hale & Backman really didn’t have what it takes, YET. Collins had experience and was already in the Mets organization. Though some may disagree with that fact (like Hale and Backman).
Better then Chucklin’ Jerry.
Let the Tom Collins jokes begin…
God move…the guy knows the Met system…again good move> Backamn would be smart to stay with org
i wanted Backman. a lot of Met fans did. but, you know what, i’ve been saying it doesn’t really matter to me who they hire out of Collins, Backman, Melvin, and Hale because Alderson, DePodesta, Ricciardi, and Ricco know what they’re doing. they know who’s right for the job, and if they think Collins is, so do i. i like this move. now Alderson, go call Tampa about Matt Garza.
He was the correct choice even though most moron Mets fans are crying he’s not Torre, Valentine, or Backman (they recognize his name). I’m excited for the season.
Pirates stole the manager Mets most wanted.
I wonder about that, Richard. (See my earlier comment above.) Do you have any reports to back that thought up? Just curious. I haven’t thus far. But that was my hunch.
2 years is 1 year too many
My gut feeling is the Mets are a mess. It is a long way from you got to believe.
I don’t think they are that far away. The GM hire was superb. They need pitching and probably need to pull the LF wall in a bit for Bay and Wright. 😉 But they aren’t that far away. In Reyes and Wright, they have two superstars who should be hitting their prime. Assembling strong pitching and defense will go a long way toward improvement.
i don’t think reyes’ stats prove him to be a superstar. he has always had that potential, but has never taken that step. it has been 8 yrs. and his stats are average to good.
how many SS available in 2012 are better than reyes…who by the way..is only 27…
who would u replace him with ?
I’ll agree that he’s taken serious backward steps the last couple of seasons. Largely due to injury. Last year even tho he had a .282 AVG (very respectable), his OBP dropped to .321. So he wasn’t taking his walks. Not a good trend for a leadoff hitter. And even harder to swallow considering his annual income had escalated to nearly $10M. So, yes, he does need to round his OBP numbers back to form.
As for the “superstar” distinction, I’ll stand by that. He’s proven he’s a high-impact player. He finished in the top 25 of MVP voting three years in a row, peaking at #7 in 2006. The MVP usually favors sluggers, so that’s not bad at all for a lead-off hitter. He has the talent and if he can bump his OBP back up, his skill set is great for a lead-off hitter.
If Mets fans and/or the organization has soured on him and feel a trade would be best, I don’t think right now is the proper time. He’s coming off a down year and he’ll be making $11M next year. And he’s still only 27, tho. I would wait and see if he can at least get hot in the first half of 2011, so the return will be better. His value right now is at an all-time low and bound to improve.
The Mets would be wise to try and move Reyes as he can land a very good package of prospects and they would lose his lazy work ethic and losing mentality which has plagued the Mets for years
See my earlier post above, nyy. If the Mets, indeed, intend to move him, I think it would be wise to wait until his value is a little better. The only caveat being if he’s just an unbearable jerk in the clubhouse disrupting the whole team. I don’t think that fits his personality, tho.
My gut feeling is the Mets are a mess. It is a long way from you got to believe.
Despite Steve Adams summary telling me where he’s been, I can’t remember a thing about Terry Collins. If other New Yorkers are like me, maybe that’s for the best, and Collins can start out clean and make his own reputation.
Stunned by this move. Really, I am. The NY Press will constantly have the “he lost his clubhouse” story from his past inserted into any losing streak and the fans will be screaming for Backman as this team struggles next season…and it will struggle. They have NO starting pitching, a felon for a closer and a bunch of guys who don’t know how to win. I don’t think Collins is the man to lead them from the abyss. Also the fact that he got a 2 year deal isn’t very encouraging.
As a Mets fan this is a let down. Even if it was a bunch of overpaid vets who ran Collins out of Anaheim the fact remains he lost his team.
Hopefully, Collins turns out better than I’m expecting.
Stunned by this move. Really, I am. The NY Press will constantly have the “he lost his clubhouse” story from his past inserted into any losing streak and the fans will be screaming for Backman as this team struggles next season…and it will struggle. They have NO starting pitching, a felon for a closer and a bunch of guys who don’t know how to win. I don’t think Collins is the man to lead them from the abyss. Also the fact that he got a 2 year deal isn’t very encouraging.
As a Mets fan this is a let down. Even if it was a bunch of overpaid vets who ran Collins out of Anaheim the fact remains he lost his team.
Hopefully, Collins turns out better than I’m expecting.
Mets fans are being snowed by the hiring of Alderson. The hiring of Collins, lack of pitching, not spending money this year, not moving the fences in, and 2 or 3 players with their foot out the door does’nt sound promising to me. Any GM will look good next year with 50 mill coming off the books.
I really wish people that continue to throw the “he lost his clubhouse” arguement out there realize that a) that clubhouse was a nightmare and b) it was 11 years ago. Collins cleaned up Tony B’s mess in the minors. Give the guy a chance before slamming him about something that happened over a decade ago. Especially when it really wasn’t all his fault.
Terry Collins as Alderson’s “middle management”; it’ll be like Pinocchio, only the puppet is really surly.
For those who’ve voiced concern over the deal being “two years”, I wouldn’t sweat it much. Managers are fired when their teams do not perform. Unlike players, they don’t make the kind of cash that’s going to strap an organization. And I’m sure the contract does not include a “no fire” clause. 😉
Any reason they picked up the option for Reyes? They could have saved a lot of money declining it.
2 words Phil Wellman