The Mets are finalizing a multi-year deal to make Luis Rojas their next manager, replacing Carlos Beltran who mutually parted ways with the team last Thursday.
Rojas was getting plenty of buzz as the Mets conducted their second managerial search of the offseason, with team brass focused on an in-house option to take over. The 38-year-old has managerial experience in the minors and was the team's quality control coach before this promotion.
However, there were some doubts on Rojas, as it was said the team didn't believe he was ready to take over as manager back in November when he was initially considered for the job. That has clearly changed now, and some current Mets always believed Rojas had what it took to be a big league manager after playing under him.
Rojas, who has been with the team since 2007, was profiled in July by Nathalie Alonso of MLB.com. Here's what some of his players had to say...
Jeff McNeil:
"I think he'd be a great big league manager. He knows the game really well. He comes from a big baseball family. His emotions [are] real calm. He gets along well with the players. He's just a baseball guy. I think he'd be a tremendous manager."
Dominic Smith:
"I was 17, turning 18, playing my first full season and he was my manager. Being a young kid around a bunch of college guys, that can be overwhelming, especially [in] your first stint in pro ball. I'd just come from high school, and he definitely helped me with not stressing and putting too much pressure on myself and having fun with the game."
Pete Alonso:
"One of the most even-keeled managers I've had."
Tomas Nido:
"As a friend, outside of baseball, he tries to be the same with us. Nothing changes. He's not set on one way of thinking. He listens to what we think and how in some situations we might think differently. He's willing to listen to different opinions. He's someone who lets you play and isn't trying to change everything about you. He trusts you and gives you confidence, no matter how good or bad things are going for you."
To read the full profile on Rojas, which delves into why the son of Felipe Alou and brother of Moises Alou has a different last name and how he developed his love of analytics, click here.