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Mets Rumors: Luis Rojas' Job as Manager Safe Despite New York's Recent Slump
August 9, 2021
New York Mets manager Luis Rojas isn't on the hot seat despite the team's recent swoon, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman.
"[Team owner Steve] Cohen believes this is a different time with a different type of player makeup than when George Steinbrenner used to fire Yankees managers regularly in bad periods for the club and/or to try to jolt players into better play, the source said," per Sherman.
The Mets went into the All-Star break at 47-40, with a 3.5-game lead on the second-place Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. They're now in third place at 56-55, 2.5 games behind the division-leading Phillies, after having dropped nine of their last 11 games.
Sherman reported that Cohen doesn't think the NL East features one team that's head and shoulders better than the rest of the division. Because of that, now isn't necessarily the time to panic.
One can question how much Rojas is culpable for New York's downturn.
Francisco Lindor, who's battling an oblique injury, is slugging .376, more than 100 points below his career average (.478). Michael Conforto is batting just .201. As a team, the Mets are tied for 21st in weighted on-base average (.304), per FanGraphs, and have already fired hitting coach Chili Davis.
On the pitching side, Jacob deGrom is out until at least September with right forearm inflammation. Noah Syndergaard has yet to pitch in an MLB game after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2020.
The Mets acquiring Javy Baez from the Chicago Cubs right before the MLB trade deadline and Baez subsequently getting a hip injury sums up their season.
The franchise is probably falling short of Cohen's expectations since ownership showed some ambition in the offseason by landing Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland then handing the former a 10-year, $341 million extension.
But making a managerial change now risks exacerbating the situation because change isn't always good. A couple of strong weeks could significantly alter New York's outlook for the better, too.
Should the Mets ultimately miss out on the postseason, Cohen's stance on Rojas could shift.