The New York Mets have a whole lot of replacing to do. Several coaching vacancies, at least one of those spots could end up handed to a former Mets player and/or employee.
In the past, the Mets have created some bad karma with the way they handled certain individuals. Fired wrongfully, unfairly, or without much reason, rehiring any of these three for a role can build up some good karma and be enough to satisfy fans happy with changes now ready to be excited about what’s next.
1) Willie Randolph
Would Willie Randolph rejoin the Mets in some capacity? Fired in the middle of the 2008 season overnight while on the West Coast, it’s the stuff of legend how poorly the front office conducted itself.
Randolph hasn’t had a managerial opportunity since. His 302-253 record as a skipper is favorable with the 2006 run being the highlight on his resume and the team’s collapse the following season being the lowlight. The only spot on the coaching staff that would make sense for him would be as the bench coach. John Gibbons, the man he’d be replacing, was a longtime manager so taking a “lesser role” isn’t all that outrageous. The problem is Gibbons is 63 while Randolph is already 71. Is he prepared for the grind? An advisory role might be more applicable.
2) Carlos Beltran
As much as it would be great to see a large dose of Carlos Beltran in the dugout as the bench coach, it might not be so wise to hire Carlos Mendoza’s obvious replacement heading into such a crucial season. There’s nothing wrong with putting pressure on the current Mets manager. But you also don’t want to sabotage him.
Beltran has the strange distinction of being a Mets manager who never actually managed a game. Hired after the 2019 season, there was a “mutual” parting of ways early in 2020 when the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal was revealed. While A.J. Hinch, Alex Cora, and others suffered a year-long consequence, Beltran has been barred from managing again without any definitive explanation. Would he mind a hitting coach role? Or maybe we can see how made of brass Mendoza is by having Beltran alongside him.
3) Edgardo Alfonzo
This one had no explanation. After the 2019 season, Brooklyn Cyclones manager and Mets fan favorite Edgardo Alfonzo was let go. He thought he was getting promoted. Instead, they were moving on with no real logic.
Alfonzo won a championship with the Single-A affiliate during the 2019 season, making it even more perplexing to see him let go prior to the 2020 campaign that never happened. Not that it makes all that much of a difference, but Alfonzo led the team to victory in a year that included zero significant playing time from guys who reached the big leagues. One would think the 2019 Cyclones were loaded. Nope. A gig as the Mets third base coach is something to think about.
