Mets President Sandy Alderson Admits Hiring Mickey Callaway Was A Mistake

The New York Mets are admitting that the hiring of former manager Mickey Callaway was a mistake, and president Sandy Alderson says that the team was shortsighted in its hiring process of Callaway.

Callaway has been accused of sexual misconduct by five women in a report in The Athletic.

The former Mets manager was hired back in October of 2017. He was the Mets manager for two seasons before being fired, and then moved on to being the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels in October of 2019.

"When we hired Mickey, Mickey was the hot commodity," Alderson said Monday.

"There were a number of teams that were anxious to talk to him and possibly sign him to a contract. We felt very fortunate at the time to get him based on his reputation in the game.

"Now, was that shortsighted on our part and too narrow a focus? I think the answer is probably yes."

After the report from The Athletic came out Callaway was suspended by the Angels, and now Major League Baseball is putting forth a full investigation.

In the meantime, Callaway has denied doing anything wrong.

10 months after the Mets hired Callaway the team learned of an incident with the manager before the team officially hired him as manager.

The Mets declined to reveal the nature of the incident or the outcome of the probe. Callaway continued managing the team until the conclusion of the 2019 season.

"I think especially in retrospect, there probably should've been a broader assessment of his qualifications," Alderson said.

"In terms of people we actually talked to, there were no reservations. I think the process should've been broader. We've learned that lesson and the process that we currently have is and will be broader than it was in 2018."

It was a tough offseason for the Mets, who hired Luis Rojas as the team's manager January 22nd after the team mutually parted ways with Carlos Beltrán due to his involvement in the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal.