Mets News: Tony La Russa interviewed for the manager position last winter

The New York Mets reportedly interviewed Tony La Russa last winter before hiring Carlos Beltran.

Can you imagine Tony La Russa managing the 2020 New York Mets? It could have happened according to Jon Heyman.

Before they hired Carlos Beltran, the brain trust in Flushing interviewed the Hall of Fame skipper (La Russa) to take over for Mickey Callaway. Beltran may have bailed them out given the controversy following La Russa around.

There are a few things Mets fans can take away from this piece of information. I think a lot of us immediately react with a sigh of relief. Say what you will about Luis Rojas—at least he has a future in the big leagues. With all due respect to what La Russa did in the game, his time has passed.

My second thought is how out of touch the Wilpons were with thinking this was a good idea. They did seem to think better of it, instead twice picking guys with zero managerial experience at the big league level, Beltran and then Rojas.

Still a respected name in the game of baseball, La Russa wouldn’t have fit in well with the young up-and-coming Mets of 2020. While I could be proven wrong with how he handles the Chicago White Sox, I don’t think I’m alone in my feelings. People are still scratching their heads trying to understand the hire.

It’s amazing the Mets even contemplated hiring La Russa in the first-place. Perhaps it was done as a sign of respect or a favor. The whole time they were searching for a new manager, many believed it was just to find the next puppet for the front office.

This wouldn’t have been La Russa. Even if his tactics are rather modern and heavily based on analytics, his personality is anything but. He’s an old-school manager in the regard that he’ll actually call the shots.

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We’ll never know what a Mets-led team under La Russa would have looked like. For many fans, it’s better not to know.