The New York Mets are showing plenty of initiative in their search for a new manager considering the 2017 MLB season is still in the League Championship stages.
According to FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, the Mets have “six or so” candidates and are wasting no time bringing them in for interviews.
Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora, who is already in New York as his team prepares for Game 4 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees, is expected to interview with the team on Tuesday.
Cora’s name has shown up in other managerial searches too, most notably the Boston Red Sox, who fired John Farrell last week after crashing out of the ALDS against the Astros. It looks like Boston is the overwhelming favorites to land him as a report from Puerto Rico’s El Nuevo Dia revealed that “there is a 99.9-percent chance” of the 41-year-old being named Sox skipper.
Another Mets target is also eyeing Boston’s vacancy though as former Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus turned down a chance to interview with New York, per Heyman.
The Mets will be interviewing current Chicago White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing, who has been with the club since 2012, on Wednesday. McEwing, known as “Super Joe” during his playing days for his ability to man almost every position as a utility option off the bench, played with the Mets from 2000-2004.
One of the managers he worked under in Chicago and one of his former Met teammates, Robin Ventura, was also connected to the Mets job, but Heyman reports that he “does not appear to have a strong interest.”
Current Mets hitting coach Kevin Long will also be interviewed by the team on Wednesday for the managerial job. Long has a track record of connecting with his players and bringing their offenses to new heights, including Daniel Murphy and Curtis Granderson, who worked with Long as a member of both the Yankees and Mets.
While the other candidates have not been disclosed as of yet, former Mets bench coach Bob Geren, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland Athletics third-base coach Chip Hale have been linked to the job since Terry Collins resigned after the last game of the 2017 regular season.
