The New York Mets were supposed to be preparing for a playoff series right about now.
Instead, they are at home and now the club is officially without a manager.
Luis Rojas is out as Mets manager. So begins the most fascinating overhaul of the winter. https://t.co/i6tKtZW4fh
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 4, 2021
Luis Rojas is out after two seasons with the club.
Two losing seasons, to be more specific.
The 40-year-old took on the job suddenly once Carlos Beltran had to be let go due to his involvement in stealing signs while with the Houston Astros.
Couple that fact with the shortened 2020 season and a 26-34 finish was something everyone could live with.
Expectations then shot through the roof before the 2021 season, only for the Mets to finish 77-85.
This is not all the manager’s fault, but Steve Cohen is spending a lot of money on this team and Rojas was bound to take the blame.
I have decided not to renew Luis Rojas’ contract for the 2022 season.
I’d like to thank Luis for his dedication to the Mets and wish him and his family all the best.
— Steven Cohen (@StevieCBurner) October 4, 2021
Failed Expectations
Reaching the postseason was not too much for Cohen to ask in 2021.
The addition of Francisco Lindor put the Mets back on the map as a contender and trading for Javier Baez at the deadline proved the team was now acting like a club ready to take that next step.
And the Mets were doing well for a good part of the season.
They entered the All-Star break at 48-40 and were 56-48 at the end of July.
Then everything went south.
The team was already without Jacob deGrom and Lindor too went out with an injury of his own from mid-July to late-August.
Rojas could not rally the troops and the Mets found themselves at 65-67 at the end of August.
They showed some fight to get to 72-72, but only won five more games the rest of the way.
Thus, Rojas is out and Cohen is planning to build the team’s management in his vision.
An Entire Shakeup
The Mets were, to put it simply, a bit of mess all throughout the organization in 2021.
They hired Jared Porter as GM, only for him to be fired almost immediately once allegations surfaced of him being inappropriate toward a female reporter.
Zack Scott then got a promotion, only for him to get hit with a DWI charge over the summer.
Cohen now has the chance to work with Sandy Alderson and build up the organizational leadership from scratch.
While the job will come with a ton of pressure, the talent is in place to be competitive right away.
That is a rare opening to find in any sport.
Mets fans are likely fine seeing Rojas leave, but are still nervous about who Cohen will choose as the replacement.
If he doesn’t choose wisely, we may be having this same conversation again in 2022.
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