The Mets bank their future on a manager who has never been to the playoffs
The owners had nearly three months watching him manage the team through a disappointing season
At first glance, the New York Mets' decision appears puzzling. On Tuesday, the organization removed Andy Green's interim tag and signed him to a three-year contract, officially making him the club's full-time manager. It is a significant vote of confidence for a baseball lifer whose managerial résumé includes a notable omission: he has never led a team to the postseason.
During his four seasons managing the San Diego Padres from 2016 through 2019, Green never reached October. His coaching stops with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs also did not result in playoff appearances during his tenure. And although he took over the Mets in June and steadied the club during a difficult season, New York's playoff hopes had largely faded by the time he inherited the job.
So why would a franchise with championship aspirations commit its future to a manager without a postseason appearance on his record? The answer is that the Mets appear to be evaluating Green on more than his October résumé.
The Mets saw enough during the interim run
When Green replaced Carlos Mendoza in late June, he inherited a team that was already dealing with disappointment and underperformance. Yet the Mets responded better than many expected. Green guided the club to a 37-38 record as interim manager. More notably, New York went 31-28 after the All-Star break, entering Tuesday night's game against Texas.
Those numbers hardly establish Green as a proven winner, but they gave the Mets a substantial sample in which to evaluate him. Ownership clearly liked what it saw. " Andy has connected with and pushed our players to perform, despite the disappointment of the season," Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement.
That is an important distinction. The Mets did not simply promote Green because he had a good few weeks. They spent nearly three months watching him manage the team through a disappointing season and concluded that his approach fit what they wanted moving forward.
His Padres record needs context
Green's lack of playoff appearances is a legitimate part of his résumé, but it also needs context. When he took over the Padres in 2016, San Diego was rebuilding. The organization was focused on developing young talent and constructing a roster capable of competing in the future.
Green's teams went 274-366 during his four seasons, and he was dismissed during the 2019 season. He therefore left San Diego without a winning record or a postseason appearance. Those results cannot simply be erased.
At the same time, managerial records are heavily influenced by the rosters available to a manager. The Padres' eventual emergence as an NL contender came after Green's tenure, underscoring how different the circumstances can be from one managerial job to another.
Green's strongest argument was probably the opportunity the Mets gave him to demonstrate how he would operate their clubhouse. He had nearly three months to establish his expectations, communicate with players and make in-game decisions. New York then had an extended look at him before committing to a three-year contract.
"When I accepted the interim role, I didn't anticipate it becoming permanent," Green said in a statement. "But the more time I spent with our players and staff, the clearer it became that this is where my passion and experience could make the greatest impact." The decision therefore appears less like a bet on Green's past results and more like a bet on the organization’s evaluation of his performance in New York.
That does not make the decision without risk. The Mets are not rebuilding for the sake of rebuilding. A franchise with significant expectations needs a manager capable of navigating a roster built to compete for a postseason spot. Green has never done that as a major-league manager.
His Padres tenure produced four consecutive seasons without October baseball, and his subsequent coaching experience with Arizona and Chicago did not change that part of his résumé. The Mets are now asking him to accomplish something he has never accomplished as a manager. That will make the 2027 season particularly revealing.
