Former Mets Manager Mickey Callaway Placed on MLB's Ineligible List Through 2022

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Major League Baseball placed former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway on the ineligible list through the end of the 2022 season "at minimum," commissioner Rob Manfred announced in a Wednesday statement. 

The move follows the completion of an investigation into multiple allegations of sexual harassment against Callaway, first raised in a report by Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic before the 2021 season. 

Callaway was serving as pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels at the time of The Athletic's report and had since been suspended pending the league investigation. According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Angels fired Callaway effective immediately following the release of MLB's findings. 

Manfred addressed placing Callaway on the ineligible list in a statement: 

"Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Callaway violated MLB's policies, and that placement on the Ineligible List is warranted. We want to thank the many people who cooperated with our Department of Investigations [DOI] in their work, which spanned Mr. Callaway's positions with three different Clubs. The Clubs that employed Mr. Callaway each fully cooperated with DOI, including providing emails and assisting with identifying key witnesses. Harassment has no place within Major League Baseball, and we are committed to providing an appropriate work environment for all those involved in our game."

Callaway served as pitching coach for Cleveland from 2013 to 2017 before the Mets hired him for two seasons. He joined the Angels in 2020 after his tenure in New York came to an end in 2019. 

In a statement released through a spokesperson, Callaway accepted MLB's decision and apologized to "the women who shared with investigators any interaction that made them feel uncomfortable." 

Callaway is eligible to apply for reinstatement following the conclusion of the 2022 World Series, though it's unclear what requirements he must meet in order to resume working in MLB.

The treatment of women by Callaway was described as the "worst-kept secret" within the Cleveland organization by a team employee and reportedly continued when he became the manager in New York. 

Nearly two dozen Cleveland employees who spoke to The Athletic said the coach's sexual misconduct "permeated the workplace" and it would've been difficult for top officials to be unaware of his actions. 

Cleveland chairman Paul Dolan has since admitted the franchise did not do enough to build an inclusive culture or necessary processes for those impacted by Callaway's actions to rely on. The team has since hired a "external expert" to help address the team's shortcomings in those areas. 

Similarly, New York Mets chairman Steve Cohen—who purchased the team following Callaway's tenure—hired a law firm to review the team's workplace culture following the allegations against its former manager. 

“Let me be clear," Cohen wrote in a memo obtained by The Athletic. "There is no place in our organization for such conduct.”

Callaway becomes the sixth person currently on the ineligible list under Manfred along with Jenrry Mejia, Chris Correa, John Coppolella, Brandon Taubman and Roberto Alomar.