NEW YORK – Luis Rojas was abandoned as coach of the New York Mets on Monday after two losing seasons.
The team rejected its option on Rojas’ contract for 2022, making the announcement a day after finishing third in the NL East at 77-85 in Steve Cohen’s first year of ownership. The move was not surprising, as it is the first of several important changes to come again in the off-season for a club in constant turmoil.
“I want to be very involved with the Mets organization, not only in the last two seasons as a manager, but over the past 16 years in a variety of roles,” Rojas said in a statement released by the team.
“We live in a results-oriented business, and I am very disappointed for our staff and fans that we did not meet our goals this season,” he said.
The Mets family said Rojas was offered the opportunity to remain with the organization in a role that has yet to be determined. The club said that decisions regarding the technical staff will be taken in the next few days.
“The entire Mets organization is grateful for the dedication and dedication that Lewis has shown over the past two seasons as manager,” team boss Sandy Alderson said in a statement. “He has shown great commitment to the Mets over many years with multiple capabilities. These decisions are never easy, but we feel that change is needed at this time.”
The playoffs or even the banner are expected to challenge with the newcomer $341 million Francisco Lindor At Shortstop, New York led the squad for 90 straight days despite the wave of injuries. Rojas has won praise for his steady hand and communication skills – he even earned a mention as a potential candidate for general manager.
But then it all fell apart during the last two months of the season.
with ace jug Jacob Degrom New York has been sidelined since the All-Star fractured due to an elbow sprain, and New York plummeted once August arrived. The squad languished even when it was in good health, and the exhausted staff began to fall apart.
Lindor missed more than five weeks in the second half with a tilted injury and only came out of the season’s long slump in hindsight. Michael ComfortAnd Jeff McNeillAnd Dominic Smith And James McCann As the painting fluctuated, leaving Alonso’s house to bear the burden.
In an early 2-11 run against the Dodgers and Giants, the two biggest teams in baseball, the five-game Mets dropped over 0.500 and tied for first place with 62-66 and 6½ on August 26. He lost the lead forever on August 14 and never recovered.
The Rojas made a series of questionable in-game decisions, and the breakdown was complete when the Mets were eliminated from their post-season feud on September 25 with just over a week to go. They have reached the finish line of their fourth losing season in five years, and the tenth in the last 13. New York have reached the playoffs twice in the past 15 seasons, only progressing in 2015 en route to an appearance in the world championship.
With losses piling up, Rojas’ fate seemed inevitable before the season was over. New York went 26-34 during his first year in charge, finishing last in the shortened 2020 campaign for the pandemic.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here for the past two years as a manager,” Rojas said last week, the writing on the wall. “It was fun every day working with the guys, communicating with them and getting ready. We didn’t get what we wanted to achieve.”
Rojas was quickly promoted to captain in January 2020 by former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen as a replacement for Carlos Beltran. This promotion came just days after Beltran was abandoned without managing a single match as part of the fallout from the 2017 Houston Astros tag-stealing scandal.
With only one major league season under his belt as a New York QC coach, Rojas became the team’s fourth manager in two and a half years – and third in four months. The move was praised by veterans and young Mets players alike, including players like Alonso who played for Rojas as a junior.
Rojas has worked for the Mets since 2007 and spent eight years as a minor league manager. He is the son of former Expos and Giants captain Felipe Allo, and brother of former Major League Soccer player Moises Allo.
Rojas turned 40 on September 1 and was the second youngest coach in the majors, 24 days older than Minnesota’s Rocco Baldele.
“It was fun to play with,” Lindor said. “I love him so much. He brings so much to the game. One of the biggest messages he carried this year was to be fearless.”
Next, Alderson and Cohen plan to search for a head of baseball operations—and that person will likely be tasked with appointing a new manager.
The Mets initially intended to bring in a Chief of Baseball Operations in his final off-season, but he couldn’t meet the top targets hiring other clubs, and at least one wasn’t interested in coming to New York.
So the Mets changed course, appointing Jared Porter as general manager of the Baseball Operations Command under Alderson. Porter was quickly fired after it was revealed that he sent unsolicited and sexually explicit text messages and photos to a female reporter in 2016 while working with the Cubs.
Zack Scott was promoted to acting general manager, then was placed on paid administrative leave in early September after he was arrested on August 31 for drunk driving. Since then, the 73-year-old Alderson has held the role of General Motors.
Scott has pleaded not guilty to a DWI charge and three traffic tickets. He is due to return to White Plains City Court on October 7.