A new era begins as Green Deal is locked in

Meet the new boss.

Same as the old boss.

Andy Green had the interim tag removed from his title as he has signed a three year deal to become the current and future manager of the New York Mets today. It comes as a mild surprise as Green has previously brought up the family concerns being a real thing regarding whether he wanted to manage full time again and return to the front office. But the deal must have been too good to pass up, and with core players like Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, and Bo Bichette voicing their approval for him, it seems like a good fit just to go with what you got. The Bichette endorsement could be the key to this deal being done, as Bo has an opt out clause in his contract. Perhaps the New Green Deal could be thing that leads to the resumption of the Old Bo Deal.

But on top of that, the lure of staying with the familiar on both sides had to be too great for the Mets, and for Green, to pass up. On the Mets side, there were only three real options to look at (I'm not counting Carlos Beltran because it seems that he didn't want the job. If he did, this Green announcement at the very least doesn't happen today.)

Alex Cora

The biggest name on the list. But two things here: Cora has been linked to Philadelphia for a possible hire way more than New York. That tells me that Cora, if he jumps back into the fray, is more intrigued by that job than this. And let's face it: the "home run hire" doesn't always end up as the most successful.

Albert Pujols

Great baseball mind. But can the Mets really take a wild swing with another first time managerial hire?

David Ross

Ross had a connection to Green so it might have worked. But if you're going to hire a guy for his second managerial stint, why not stick with the one ya got? And as for Green's second go around as manager, let's address his first go around: a four season stint with the San Diego Padres. It wasn't good ... 274-366 to be exact. But there were circumstances. First off, you have to understand that he took the job in 2016, right after A.J. Preller made his first wild attempt at throwing big money at the Padres, but had to tear most of it down because it was a failure. Green spent four seasons mopping up from that.

In those four seasons, he had rosters that (inserty deity of choice) couldn't win with. Consider the following: This season, Green has four players (Soto, Benge, Ewing, McLean) that had a WAR of 2.9 or over. Let's look at what he had to work with in San Diego:

• 2016: Three players with 2.9 WAR or above.

• 2017: Zero.

• 2018: One.

• 2019: Three ... one being a regular player (Tatis in his rookie season), the others being Chris Paddack and closer Kirby Yates.

Anybody that is expecting a 38-41 year old first time manager to win with the rosters he had in San Diego is just being unfair and cruel.

Green's biggest strengths are his familiarity with this young core, and his honest approach to communication. Let's put it this way: If he communicates with his players the way he discusses them in the press room, then I can't see that the roster doesn't respect him. Green's honesty and candor with the media is the kind of thing that players respect, as long as he communicates with them in the same fashion, and I don't have any reason to think that isn't the case.

All of this doesn't mean that this is a slam dunk. I mean, nothing ever is in Queens. Remember, for all the good things we have said about Green, he's only 37-38 as the Mets manager. Better than he was in San Diego, but that ain't winning us any pennants unless we're relocated to the A.L. West.

The biggest challenge now for Green is in shifting gears from managing to evaluate to managing to win. Let's face it: Green spent this season as a guy who was managing as a front office guy, taking notes for the next manager while crafting a managerial style that is geared towards finding out about players. Starting in March of 2027 (we hope), Green is going to have to manage to win. That means making the right moves with the bullpen, putting guys in the right spot in the order, and handling their personalities so that he gets the best out of them every single night. If he can do that, he's got a chance to succeed. That said, none of it matters if either David Stearns or a new general manager that's hired to take some of the responsibilities away from Stearns doesn't get Green more pieces to work with. That includes another big bat and perhaps another rotation arm, among other things. With the de-emphasis of the manager's role over time, it's imperative that the front office gives Green what he needs to succeed. That would be true of any manager. But the fact that Green will return to provide a little continuity is a good first step.