BY JOE PANTORNO
The New York Mets are finalizing a deal to make Luis Rojas their next manager, per multiple reports.
The decision comes less than a week after the organization parted ways with manager Carlos Beltran, who held the position for just three months after his name was mentioned in MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s report of the Houston Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal.
Rojas, 38, has spent 14 years in the Mets’ organization, managing on five-different levels throughout the team’s minor-league system before taking over as the team’s quality control coach. He is now the second-youngest manager in the majors behind Minnesota Twins skipper Rocco Baldelli.
He certainly has the pedigree to succeed in the majors. Rojas is the son of ex-player and manager Felipe Alou and the brother of Moises, who played for the Mets during a 17-year playing career.
Felipe Alou and Rojas become just the sixth-ever father-son duo to hold managerial jobs in Major League Baseball.
Per Newsday’s Tim Healey, Rojas will be receiving a multi-year deal.
The Mets are the first team affected by the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal to hire a new manager. Houston and the Boston Red Sox are still in the midst of their respective searches.
While Rojas was considered a rising star within the managerial ranks — including his emergence as an early favorite for the Mets’ job after the dismissal of Mickey Callaway back in October — previous reports indicated that those within the organization were split on him taking over.
MLB Network’s Joel Sherman added that Rojas will keep the Mets’ current coaching staff intact, which features bench coach Hensley Meuelns, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coach Chili Davis, and first-base coach Tony DeFrancesco.
Meulens and DeFrancesco were also considered to be contenders for the job with the former picking up the most steam after Beltran’s departure. Meulens is also rumored to be in the running for the Red Sox’s vacant managerial job after they parted ways with Alex Cora last week.
Other candidates for the job included ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez and Chicago White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing.
But while Meulens is preparing for his first season with the Mets, Rojas has an adept knowledge of the franchise and managed several members of the team’s young core in the minor leagues including Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso.
That familiarity might have been the prevailing factor of Rojas’ candidacy, as he will now be taking over a team that is on the verge of making a serious push toward contention in the National League East.
This story originally appeared on amny.com.
