It looks like Willie Larry Randolph is back on the employment radar.
Teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nationals, and the crosstown Yankees are lubricating the rumor mill with leaks about bringing in the deposed Mets manager in advance of what should be an active offseason. The Brewers in particular need a head man with some experience, while the Nats and Yankees are both thinking more along the lines of of a quality assistant manager.
This is likely just the beginning of the courting process for Grandpa Willie, as one could see the recently-Philleted Joe Torre putting a call in to his longtime friend as he tailors his crew for year two in L.A. And perennial managerial turnstiles like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Kansas City seem to always be fishing for someone -- anyone! -- to steer them out of the abyss.
But the team that would make the biggest splash, and, perhaps, reap the greatest rewards is his old team right here in Flushing. In short: the Mets should rehire Willie Randolph.
Of course the rehiring of a manager so quickly after letting him go, while rare, isn't totally unprecedented. In New York, Billy Martin and the Yankees of the late 70's early 80's practically put a patent on the process. Steinbrenner essentially used Martin as if he were some sort of managerial steroid; injecting him into the team whenever it needed a boost and cutting him off once the effects became too deleterious. And there were a couple championships won in the process.
More recently the Oakland A's rehired manager Ken Macha -- who in similar fashion to the Mets had a run of good-but-not-good-enough years -- right after letting him go in 2005. He would eventually be fired again one year later, but not because the rehiring was a clear failure. Macha won 93 games in his final season as A's manager, the second best season in his four-year stint.
It's not a conventional move by any means, but for the Mets — a team that needs to shake things up, but might be a little hamstrung in terms of making any major personnel moves — there are a couple clear reasons that make it a reasonably appealing option:
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1. This Group Has Unfinished Business: When the team committed itself to Omar Minaya before the season (and collapse) was even over, it was to send a psychological message: Omar, no matter what happens this year, you're our guy. We believe in your vision. Well, Willie Randolph was part of that. The collapse proved that Jerry Manuel, while awesome, was no magic elixir. One could reasonably argue the team would have also turned itself around under Randolph's command. This franchise changed as a group: Omar, Willie, Jerry, Wright, Reyes, Beltran. If you keep Omar, Reyes, Wright, Beltran, you can bring back Willie. He's family.
2. Willie Wants It Also: In a scenario like this, both parties have to swallow their pride and admit their mistakes. And when Mets beat writer Marty Noble recently caught up with Willie, the new grandfather sounded like a man who would desperately like one more chance. He still says "we," for goodness sake! Add on that Willie and Jerry are obviously good friends, and a title of who's manager or who's assistant shouldn't matter much. Willie is still a good baseball guy to have around, and if he's willing we should be willing to have him.
3. Which leads to the final, and perhaps most important, point: The Mets have to pay him, anyways.
if you're gonna keep 90% of this group, then you might as well bring back the man who was once the engine. He knows the players as well as anyone. He's clearly still a good baseball man, based on his record and the interest of other teams. And really, the Mets have little other options other than spending a heap of money. If we're spending it anyway, we might as well call and see if he's down to come back and get this right.
Third time's the charm.
