With bigger expectations for Mets comes more pressure for manager Luis Rojas in Year 2
Mets manager Luis Rojas at a spring training workout on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.
The Mets made wholesale changes to nearly the entire operation after a disappointing 26-34 finish in 2020 that included missing the expanded playoffs by three games.
New owner. New president. New general manager (twice).
But same manager.
It’s not very often that a franchise overhauls the front office and chooses to stick with the incumbent down on the field, and yet Luis Rojas is back in that role, again leading a team with playoff expectations.
For the record, we’ve maintained from the jump that he deserves this second shot.
The lingering question is this: for how long?
Rojas is in the final season of a two-year deal that was designed to be an extended audition after the sudden (and late) firing of Carlos Beltran a month before spring training in 2020. And as the Mets open the Grapefruit League season on Monday against the Marlins in Jupiter, the pressure on Rojas is palpable.
Steve Cohen spent roughly $92 million during the offseason on this year’s payroll alone — bumping it over $200 million — and the ultra-competitive hedge-fund titan is someone accustomed to getting what he wants.
As a huge Mets fan, Cohen wants this team in the playoffs, and he already has suggested a three-to-five-year timeline to bring the World Series trophy to Flushing. In other words, consider last year the end of Rojas’ on-the-job training period.
Cohen also said in his opening Zoom conference in November that he’s "not crazy about people learning on my dime."
That’s not to say Rojas isn’t up to the task. It just sort of puts him on notice that neither he nor the Mets can afford many mistakes. Inexperience isn’t going to fly as an excuse. Cohen and Alderson restocked the Mets with a superstar shortstop in Francisco Lindor, rebooted the rotation, strengthened the bullpen and added more depth and versatility to the roster overall. Now Rojas has to drive this bus all the way to October.
One thing seems certain: Rojas won’t flinch. He was confident being thrust into this position after Beltran was canned for his role in the Astros’ cheating scandal and seemed to keep his cool throughout the pandemic-fractured season. If nothing else, all that experience in the crucible of the 2020 season should help him handle what lies ahead
and help the game slow down somewhat from his dugout seat.
"Adversity shows up and just makes you a better man — it makes you a better baseball man," Rojas said Sunday. "We’re still on our toes for all the uncertainties that may be going on."
A critical ally for every manager is the pitching coach, and Rojas has Jeremy Hefner returning. The Mets’ rotation rapidly dissolved last year, starting with Noah Syndergaard’s Tommy John surgery, but it should have a surplus of reliable arms in 2021 — along with Thor’s anticipated June comeback.
Having a solid stable behind Jacob deGrom is one of Rojas’ greatest advantages this time around; that makes any manager look smarter. But after working alongside Rojas last year, Hefner sees plenty of other assets the manager brings from a leadership standpoint.
"Luis is a very positive person," Hefner said Sunday. "He’s a great human being to be around. Even amongst a pandemic, amongst some poor performance from us as a team, he always brought a positive energy to the field, and that’s carried over. That won’t ever change about Luis. That’s who he is. That’s in his DNA."
The Mets did make a significant change in the coaching staff to help Rojas, replacing bench coach Hensley Meulens with Dave Jauss, who served in that role under Jerry Manuel in 2010. He brings 33 years of experience as a coach, scout and minor-league manager. Jauss spent six seasons with the Expos working with Felipe Alou — Rojas’ father — and that longtime familiarity prompted this reunion.
Alderson wasn’t the one who promoted Rojas, but he’s known him since his earlier stint as general manager. Given the situation and the pressure on everyone — Alderson included — that loyalty extends only so far, though. Rojas needs a fast start to keep the critics quiet
and build some momentum after last year’s deflating performance.
"They say pressure is a privilege," Rojas said. "So you’ve got to feel a little something in there, that’s a motivator. Just because all the talent we have, you know the responsibility we have to get better every day."
Bottom line, the Mets have to win, and sooner rather than later. They may have Cohen’s billions to bankroll them now, but that doesn’t equate to a wealth of patience. Just the opposite. And Rojas looms as the most expendable part of this $200 million operation if this season doesn’t go as planned.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
