One serious candidate for the Mets’ managerial opening was abducted by Pirates yesterday, leaving Terry Collins and Bob Melvin as co-leaders for the job heading to the home stretch.
Former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, after impressing Mets general manager Sandy Alderson during an interview last week, has accepted a three-year contract to manage Pittsburgh. It leaves the Mets as the lone major league team with a managerial opening.
According to a source close to the situation, the 53-year-old Hurdle had “no turnoffs whatsoever” about the possibility of managing the Mets, but did not want to jeopardize his chances in Pittsburgh by waiting for Alderson to make a decision.
Alderson is expected to begin a second round of interviews later this week and likely won’t make a hire until after Thanksgiving.
Collins and Melvin are considered slam dunks to receive a callback, but Alderson could grant a second interview to as many as 4-5 candidates. Cardinals coach Jose Oquendo will receive an initial interview today, likely closing out the first round.
The Oquendo meeting could be postponed following the death of Alderson’s 87-year-old father, John, who was struck by a car on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Oquendo, a former Mets player, has spent the last 12 years working under Tony La Russa, whom Alderson hired in Oakland.
It is still unclear if Wally Backman or Chip Hale, both of whom had strong interviews with Alderson, will receive callbacks. Both are hindered by their lack of big league managing experience. Backman is expected to be offered a minor league managing job within the Mets organization and Hale could return as third-base coach.
Alderson also has spoken to Dave Jauss, DeMarlo Hale, Don Wakamatsu and Ken Oberkfell about the managerial opening.
Collins, the former Astros and Angels manager, would appear to have an advantage because of his ties to the Mets’ new head of player development, Paul DePodesta. It was DePodesta — as Dodgers GM — who wanted to hire Collins as manager before he was fired by owner Frank McCourt.
But Melvin, the former Mariners and Diamondbacks manager, is well-regarded for his intellect and game management. Like Collins, who was the Mets minor league field coordinator last season, Melvin has a strong working knowledge of the system after serving as a scout within the organization.