The Mets’ Sunday loss to the Phillies was the kind of afternoon that can drain the life out of a season. The weather was lousy, the crowd was sparse, the game dragged, the deficit grew, and a Howie Rose retirement ceremony had already been pushed back. But even in that setting, interim manager Andy Green found a way to make the day feel like it meant something.
“We would have loved to honor him with a win or a 300th homer today or something that would be fun to call,” Green said, speaking of Rose. “But we just wanted to show our respect.”
After the final out, Green helped lead the Mets out of the dugout to acknowledge Rose at the broadcast booth. He said the gesture was a team effort, but it also fit the way he has handled this job since taking over. In a season that has gone nowhere fast, Green has projected steadiness, and that matters for a young roster trying to absorb what it means to carry itself the right way.
There’s a case to be made that the Mets should push to keep him in the role. The assumption all along was that Green would return to the front office when the season ended.
He had already managed the Padres once, and he had spoken like someone who had closed the book on that part of his career. His reasons made sense - he likes his job, and he wants more time with his family - but this stretch with the Mets has complicated that picture.
Since Green took over, the Mets have gone 37-38 despite a gutted roster, a discouraged clubhouse, and a brutal stretch of the schedule. That record is not going to wow anyone, and plenty of fans are fair to wonder how much a manager can prove in what amounts to garbage time. Even so, Green has shown the kind of qualities teams look for: veterans trust him, younger players respond to him, and he brings a calm emotional intelligence that helps him handle different personalities, including the media.
He also has the credibility to challenge decisions when he thinks it’s necessary, and after a season in which the Mets dealt with too much change, too fast, that kind of stability stands out. Steve Cohen left the door open last month when he said Green would be in the mix for the permanent job if he wanted it. Cohen also told the SNY broadcast this past weekend that he intended to “add certain voices in the front office” when it comes to evaluating talent.
Green, who was the former senior vice president for player development, already had a front-office background, though it was centered more on minor-league talent. Keeping him as manager would add another voice to the major league side, and that seems to matter here too.
Green’s own comments Sunday made the conversation more interesting. Asked whether this stint had brought closure to his managerial career, he answered in a way that showed how much he still values the dugout.
“I’ve always loved this,” he said. “In 27 years of professional baseball, [I’ve spent] 24 of them in a uniform ... The dugout has always been home to me.”
He also reflected on his time in San Diego.
“As far as San Diego goes. I knew the assignment when I took it over.
It was a tear down and a rebuild ... That was a tremendous learning opportunity for me at that point in time but I have, and continue to, love my time with this group of guys, being in the dugout and grinding.”
Later, when asked how this job might shape his future in player development, Green still didn’t sound like someone eager to step away from managing.
“This has given me the opportunity to generate strong relationships with veteran players I didn’t have before,” he said. “It’s given me the opportunity to be a part of the other part of the journey with the young guys I’ve had in the minor leagues and I love being in the dugout with them and fighting to win a baseball game every day. I think just being fully present with the purpose you have at that moment is all anyone can do.”
That doesn’t amount to a declaration, and Green has not said he has changed his mind. But he has said enough to keep the Mets thinking. He has already guided them through the kind of day when everything feels miserable and still managed to leave the place with a sense of order and respect.
If he is open to staying, the Mets should not waste time deciding.
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