After leading the New York Mets to their first World Series appearance in 15 years, manager Terry Collins was rewarded with a two-year contract extension.
General Manager Sandy Alderson and Collins announced the deal at Citi Field Wednesday, three days after the Mets’ magical postseason run came to an end at the hands of the world champion Kansas City Royals.
“We all thought Terry did a masterful job managing the team and he’s earned this contract,” Alderson said. “The team never lost focus and was always ready to respond to challenges. He’s the perfect leader to take us to the next step, which is to win championships.”
Collins joined the Mets for the 2011 season amid a period of rebuilding and lowered expectations for the ball club. The Mets didn’t win more than 79 games in any of his first four seasons as manager, but Collins was often credited for getting the most of out a depleted roster.
Finally, in 2015, the Mets emerged as contenders, buoyed by a group of young star pitchers including Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Jeurys Familia. After a hot start to the season, the Mets cooled off by mid-July, bogged down by injuries to key players and prolonged offensive slumps.
Alderson then made a series of trades before the July 31 trading deadline that brought to the Mets slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, infielders Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson and relief pitcher Tyler Clippard. Under Collins’ guidance, the Mets went on a roll through August and September and vaulted past the Washington Nationals into first place in the National League Eastern Division.
After winning 90 regular season games and clinching the division title, the Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series, then swept the Chicago Cubs in four straight games to capture the franchise’s first National League pennant since 2000.
Despite losing to the Royals in the World Series, Alderson and Collins both expressed pride in their team’s performance the whole season and looked forward to contending in 2016.
“The organization is in the right place to win and advance into the postseason,” Collins said. “This extension is a tribute to our players, our coaches and our entire organization. We have a great blend of youngsters and veterans. They played hard and played for each other. This season was my most rewarding year in my career.”
Extending Collins was the Mets’ first move of what will undoubtedly be a busy offseason for the Flushing franchise. Cespedes, Clippard, Murphy, Uribe and four other Mets are slated to become free agents and 11 others, including Harvey and first baseman Lucas Duda, are entering salary arbitration.
