Heyman: Mets’ Randolph Close To Getting Axed

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, June 13, 2008 02:41 PM

Over in Queens, the shit is hitting the fan at a rapid rate. Jon Heyman writes the Mets are seriously considering firing Manager Willie Randolph and a couple coaches, including Hitting Coach Howard Johnson and Pitching Coach Rick Peterson.

Jayson Stark wrote in his Rumblings and Grumblings that Randolph won’t be leaving Shea:

“According to one baseball man who speaks regularly with Mets management, Randolph is “not going to get fired. Period.”

Meanwhile, Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog thinks Randolph was dealt the wrong hand:

“…i feel bad for willie…i do…i just don’t think he has the right mix of players to fit his strengths as a manager…had Omar Minaya actually built the type of team he said he was going to build when he arrived here, i.e., young, fast, athletic, sustainable, etc., i think willie would have been a perfect fit…but, today, the fact is, the team is losing, and if it continues to lose, willie is going to pay for his player’s sins with his job…”

The Mets are 31-34 and 7.5 games in back of the Phillies in the NL East. Since this point last year the Mets are under .500.

Basically the Mets have been a mediocre team for a year now, and you have to shake up a team of this prominence playing so poorly. There are myriad reasons for their poor play — injuries, old age, no chemistry, managerial style, lack of hustle. It’s a team that just looks tired, stale and sad.

Is it Randolph’s fault? Consider the on-again, off-again play of Jose Reyes; consider the silent leadership across the board (Carlos Beltran, David Wright); consider the volatile “leadership” in other places (Billy Wagner, formerly Paul LoDuca). Together this doesn’t resemble a team that really cares about each other. The clubhouse is comprised of mostly individuals playing as individuals.

Randolph has been called soft and has been said to be the wrong fit for this team. But — basically as Cerrone is putting it — the team assembled isn’t strong as a unit. Moreover, injuries to Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou and Ryan Church, among others, doesn’t make it easy to sustain high day-to-day quality.

The bottom line is this team was built to win in 2006/07 but came up short. On paper they looked like runaway favorites, but paper wins nothing. Baseball is a grind, and half this Mets team can’t take the grind. It’s that simple. As for Randolph, he has seemed to be walking through the grind with eyes half open. If I’m him I’d be glad to be on the way out. He needs something softer and fresher for a new job.

What do the Mets need? If they really think the 2008 campaign is finished, they should reassemble. Keep Johan, Jose and David. Everyone else is up for grabs.

Related posts:

  1. Breaking News: Mets Fire Randolph
  2. Phils Acquire Lefty Randolph
  3. Heyman: It’s Phils, Yanks Bidding Big For Lowe
  4. A Close One
  5. Heyman: Phillies Linked To Andruw Jones

Permalink Comments (19) | Trackback (0)

19 Responses to “Heyman: Mets’ Randolph Close To Getting Axed”

  1. Geoff Says:

    If the mets fall farther by the all-star break, then i think they should and will rebuild and move all of their old overpaid players.

  2. PhillyFriar Says:

    To be honest, I’d be fearful if the Mets pack it in for this year. Their farm system needs some serious help, and they have a couple of pieces that have varying amounts of trade value: Perez, Pedro, Heilman, Wise, and pretty much the rest of their bullpen. It’s not like they’ll pull another Kazmir-for-Zambrano deal, but it’ll set them in the future back if they try to win this year. And that’s good for the Phils.

  3. chris m Says:

    love to see the shit hitting the fan in queens lead by wagner.

  4. Phil Says:

    I wonder when the Braves will follow suit and throw in the towel. It really seems like the Mets did. At this point the Nats have as good of a chance as winning the division as those garbage teams. When will these pesky Marlins go away and drop off the face of the NL east race? Something tells me they won’t. I wish we took 2 of 3 in that series because We woulda been 5 up or more on all the teams in the division. I’m smelling a sweep coming out of TB this weekend. The Rays are really good. GO RAYS!!!

  5. George Says:

    I hope Willie Randolph coaches the Mets forever.

  6. chris m Says:

    george i agree with you…the longer they keep randolph the longer they continue to lode. right now the mets need a bowa type manager

  7. griffin Says:

    the Muts are too good to play like this all year. I still fear them more than anyone else in the division. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but they have too much talent (and money) to continue this all year.

    Some encouraging news for non-Mets fans is that if they fire Willie, they’ll hire Jerry Manuel, the bench coach. So it won’t be a fresh voice in their ear yelling at them, it’ll be the laid back bench coach taking over for the laid back manager.

  8. Geoff Says:

    it is permissable to trade prospects in the division or the NL. because theres no way of knowing 100 percent whether theyll come back to bite you. if they do, then oh well. but you DO NOT trade established players/pitchers in the division IN ANY SPORT and you especially dont trade a “star” like howards supposed to be in the conference or division.

    has to be to the america league. howard is worth more as a DH anyway, so id demand more from an AL team.

  9. Geoff Says:

    woops, wrong thread..

  10. Lewisauce Says:

    Griffin: I totally disagree. The Mets are in complete free fall, and they’re not coming out of the tailspin until this season is done. It’s not like they’ve hit a rough patch or started slow. They started shitting the bed last August, and if you ask anyone in New York, the Mets have NOT psychologically recovered from the shock of blowing the division last year, despite the addition of Santana.

    The reason they blew the division is because, as Tim points out, they have a bunch of overpaid veterans who are collecting paychecks and otherwise not giving a shit. The ones who do give a shit are either the silent types (Beltran, Wright) or the way-too-mouthy types (Wagner). This is the NL East. I don’t think any team is going to win this division without a lot of heart, guts and character (which, incidentally, is why we should all fear the Marlins).

    The Mets are done. There’s no way that bunch of primadonna wussies finds heart, guts and character for a stretch run. They’re not capable. The turds will continue to hit the turbines in Queens until a big shakeup occurs, and then it’ll be too late.

    The Braves just don’t have enough horses in the rotation to go the distance, which is a shame because they have a good lineup and those aging future Hall of Famers (Smoltz, Glavine) deserve better.

    Our only fear in the division is Florida. The Mets? They’re already toast.

  11. dan Says:

    Very true. I’m scared of the Marlins, they’re young and hungry. The Mets are done and the Braves are losing pitchers weekly. If we stay healthy, though, it should be a two-horse race until the end.

  12. Phil Says:

    I fear the Nats more than the Mets. haha

  13. griffin Says:

    lewissauce, I hope you’re right. I despise the Mets and I live here in New York and listen to the FAN everyday. The amazing thins is how many fans just hate their team. It couldn’t be more different for Phillies fans! I think you’re right, that they’re done, it’s just my Phillies pessimism.

    The Marlins have been EXTREMELY fortunate to have the record they do with their run differential. Unless they play much better, their record will drop. There was a team last year that played well despite a bad run differential-the Mariners and they’ve come back down to earth this year.

    Let’s just hope the Phils play well and we won’t have to worry about anyone. 2 out of 3 this weekend before the Sox come to town!

  14. griffin Says:

    Also,
    the Marlins team this year is different from their previous playoff teams b/c those teams had dominant pitching. In 2003, they had Beckett, Penny, Burnett, Pavano (when he was good) and Willis. This years Marlins doesn’t have anywhere near that pitching. And does anyone really expect them to lead the Majors in homers all year? meh. They’ll finish in fourth.

  15. Rob Cowie Says:

    With Randolph and Co.’s firings, the unemployment rate for June will surpass that of May.

    ….and the Home of the Brave.

  16. scot Says:

    I gotta be honest and say I agree with Griffin. The Mets score is still the score I check first, immediately after the Phils. And I still each day get nervous when they gain a game, or excited when the Phils add a game. The thing is if Pedro even gives them 15 starts from here through September, i just can’t count out a team that has Santana, Pedro and Maine at the top of the rotation. And believe me, I desperately want to count the Mets out. But this is a team that already has taken 4 of 6 from us this season, and still has enough pieces to make the Phils sweat. Until it’s mathematically over, especially after last year, I don’t count the Mets out.

  17. Phil Says:

    I was saying that to Scot, until they got swept by the Padres and Wagner blew 3 saves in a row. I actually began to feel sorry for them.

  18. scot Says:

    Phil, NEVER feel sorry for Billy Wagner!!!!! :)

  19. Phil Says:

    Oh, I don’t feel sorry for Billy, I feel sorry for Willie mostly. It’s not his fault that his team is a bunch of AARP members.

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