Inbox: Would Mets hire 1st-time manager again?

The Mets are onto a third round of managerial interviews, with Carlos Beltrán, Eduardo Pérez and Tim Bogar among those still involved in a process that could extend beyond this month. As we wait for the Mets to choose a new manager, let’s dig into that topic and others in this week’s Inbox:

What is the possibility of another first-time manager? The team seems ready for the next step -- can Pérez or Beltrán lead them there while learning how to manage on the fly? Seems a lot to hope for, while risking a lot.
-- @bspiegel2, via Twitter

I’ve seen several comments like this, which is only natural considering none of the Mets’ remaining candidates have managed in the Majors. The popular logic goes something like this: Mickey Callaway was a first-time manager and he did not work out; therefore, all first-time managers are bad.

Obviously, that’s not the case, as Aaron Boone, Kevin Cash and others can attest. Dave Martinez is a first-time manager in the World Series. All told, seven of this year’s 10 playoff skippers are in their first managerial jobs, so the notion that it never works is flat wrong.

A better question might be if a first-time manager can succeed in New York, where criticisms tend to be sharper and more common, and the pressure to win is real. Boone offers an example of a first-time manager who’s overcome those obstacles. It’s easy to see why: he relates to both the media and his players like a seasoned pro, given his experiences in both worlds. Would Pérez, another former player-turned-media personality, be able to mimic that sort of success? Or might Beltrán, who spent years as a star player here?

Look, I don’t know which Mets candidate would make the best manager. What I do know is that the people matter more than any individual lines on their resumes. I suspect Brodie Van Wagenen is looking at it the same way.

Besides Van Wagenen, who else in the Mets organization would typically participate in the later rounds of interviews? Do you think the Mets will reach out to David Wright to get his opinion?
-- @SharonWeidberg1, via Twitter

According to those in the know, chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, special assistant Omar Minaya, and assistant GMs Allard Baird and Adam Guttridge have all taken part in the interview process, as well as other high-ranking department heads. Van Wagenen will ultimately make the final decision (with the approval of Fred and Jeff Wilpon), but he’s delegated much of the actual interviewing to his direct reports.

As for Wright, no, he’s not involved with this one. (And no, he has no interest in becoming manager himself.)

Why was Edgardo Alfonzo removed from his manager position?
-- @Manach_38, via Twitter

The Mets still haven’t spoken publicly about why they decided to reassign Alfonzo, who had just won a New York-Penn League championship managing for Class A Brooklyn. According to multiple people familiar with the situation, Van Wagenen did not give Alfonzo a specific reason.

So far, Van Wagenen has declined to comment. It will be interesting to see what he says when he breaks that silence.

What is the Mets’ biggest need going into 2020?
-- @americantantrum via Twitter

If you’re asking me, it’s starting pitching. Right now, the Mets have a top four that most clubs would envy, but almost nothing of note to provide insurance behind that group. Acquiring a starter would allow the Mets to keep Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman in the bullpen, thereby strengthening that unit. Acquiring two would better protect them against injury.

The Mets’ top five starters (lumping together Jason Vargas and his replacement, Marcus Stroman) accounted for 154 of their 162 starts this season. That’s unheard of, given the incidence of pitching injuries in the game today. As much as similar health in 2020 would be nice, banking on it would be foolish.

What purpose was served by the Mets publicly saying Noah Syndergaard and Edwin Díaz would be back and not traded? Even if you were thinking that, why not leave their futures an open question and gauge trade interest? Or does saying they’re unavailable actually increase their value?
-- @DownInFront2 via Twitter

The purpose is to appease Syndergaard and Díaz, who are human beings. Eight months of trade rumors were enough for Syndergaard to publicly question the team’s commitment to him, making thinly veiled Twitter jokes and even saying in July that the rumors were “getting kind of old.” And who could blame him? It’s probably not a fun feeling thinking your team doesn’t want you.

Trading either Syndergaard or Díaz would have meant selling low, which isn’t typically smart business. So why not appease them by offering some public job security? I’m sure both players appreciated it.

Any chance of a Michael Conforto extension, or any extensions really?
-- @LindaSurovich via Twitter

It would make a lot of sense this year, given the youth of their everyday lineup -- Conforto, Jeff McNeil, Amed Rosario and Pete Alonso would all make sense as extension candidates. The problem is that the Mets have a payroll crunch, which would only become crunchier if they offered 2020 raises to pre-arbitration players like McNeil, Rosario or Alonso. Signing Conforto to an extension would make more sense, as they could potentially backload the deal to reduce their 2020 payroll. But Conforto’s agent, Scott Boras, isn’t the type to go down those roads.

In other words, yes, it makes sense on paper, but the real-world obstacles may be too great to overcome. In any event, these discussions tend to become more common in January.

• Alonso on 2019 season: "Most fun I've ever had"

What are players’ offseason workouts generally like? Heavy on form and mechanics, or general fitness?
-- @thegnomefighter via Twitter

Generally, players rest for a few weeks in November before ramping activities back up around Thanksgiving. Initially, that takes the form of whole-body workouts -- cardio, weightlifting and the like -- to keep in shape. Only once Spring Training approaches do players really ramp up more baseball-centric activities.

Still, it’s a lot of work. Many Mets pitchers subscribe to the new-age idea of throwing all winter; Jacob deGrom, for example, only shuts down for a couple of weeks before restarting his throwing program early in the offseason.

And frankly, deGrom seems to know what he’s doing.