A New York baseball star from the recent past has reportedly emerged as a candidate in the Mets' search for a new manager.
Curtis Granderson, who played for both the Yankees and the Amazin's, is "on the Mets' list," according to Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman, confirming a separate report from Robert Murray of FanSided.
The former three-time All-Star is currently serving as the president of the recently formed Players Alliance, a player-run and -funded group dedicated to achieving equal opportunity for Black players and executives in baseball.
Meanwhile with Hot Stove action brought to an abrupt halt by the lockout, the Mets may suddenly find themselves in the unforeseen position of being able to focus solely on their managerial search. They have been seeking a replacement for manager Luis Rojas, who was dismissed at season's end as part of a broader overhaul of baseball operations.
New general manager Billy Epler himself was part of the Mets' pre-lockout hiring and signing spree, which also saw deals reached with Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar.
Now 40, Granderson retired following the 2019 season, when he played 138 games with the Marlins. For his career, he slugged 344 homers and hit .249/.337/.465 in 16 seasons, mostly with the Tigers, Yankees and Mets.
Grandy arrived in New York in 2010, with the Yankees. In the Bronx, under the tutelage of hitting coach Kevin Long, who later coach with the Mets, Grandy twice reached the 40-homer plateau and demonstrated that his same-side splits were no longer a liability.
But Granderson's advancing age and an injury-marred final season with the Yankees in 2013 allowed the Mets to snap him up in free agency.
While he wasn't quite as productive overall in Queens, Grandy is remembered fondly by Mets fans for the key role he played in propelling the team to the World Series in 2015. His time in New York ended with a midseason trade to the Dodgers in 2017.
Other reported candidates for the Mets managerial opening include Buck Showalter, Don Kelly, Joe Espada, Brad Ausmus, and Matt Quatraro.
Another former Met whose possible candidacy is less clear is that of Carlos Beltran. The former Mets outfielder saw his brief tenure as manager end in scandal two offseasons ago, in the wake of revelations about his alleged role in sign-stealing.
Granderson would profile similarly to Beltran in some ways, a younger candidate and potential "outside-the-box" hire as a popular former player of recent vintage with little formal managerial experience.
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