Howard Johnson took the fall yesterday for the Mets’ poor offensive showing in 2010.
General manager Sandy Alderson will search for a new hitting coach, having informed Johnson that he won’t return to that role. Johnson, who will be reassigned within the organization, had been the team’s hitting coach since July 2007, when he replaced Rick Down. Johnson was on thin ice for much of last season, as the Mets struggled to score runs for a second straight year.
Third-base coach Chip Hale and pitching coach Dan Warthen will be back, but the rest of manager Terry Collins’ staff is in flux. Collins said yesterday he had spoken with longtime friend Larry Bowa about possibly becoming bench coach. The team also needs a first-base coach and will inform bullpen coach Randy Niemann about his status within the next few days.
“Certainly I’m going to bring in [a bench coach] who has a different personality from me — we don’t need two of us,” Collins said. “I want to have a diverse staff, it’s important to have that. But we can’t stop teaching, so I’ve got to have some guys who can work. This is a work in progress and I want coaches who have the ability to work and get this done.”
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Alderson said the Mets have offered arbitration to reliever Pedro Feliciano
, who made $2.9 million last season. Though there are concerns about his workload from the past few seasons, Feliciano is among the top left-handed relievers on the market.
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Wally Backman
is expected to remain within the organization as a minor league manager, but it’s unclear if Bob Melvin
, a scout with the Mets last season, will have a job with the team.
Alderson said Backman left an impression on him during interviews for the team’s managerial opening.
“I enjoyed meeting Wally,” Alderson said. “I can understand why the fans were so supportive of Wally. He’s going to be in the organization and will play another important role for us next year. When it came to all the things we were looking for, we just felt that Terry was at this time the more complete package.”
