In an interview with the New York Post’s baseball podcast, Sandy Alderson had the following to say about why the team didn’t give Terry Collins a contract extension this past winter:

“Well, I want Terry to be the manager. He and I have a great rapport. I think he does a great job with the players. They believe in him. I just felt that going into this season with the disappointment of the last couple – and I don’t mean that in not getting into the playoffs – more about how we played in the first half and the second half – a lot of that has to do with personnel. It doesn’t have to do with leadership. It has to do with the depth of the personnel and injuries and whether or not you can overcome those.

Often it’s not about the manager, but about what depth you have in your system.  We have more and more depth to draw on and I think we’re seeing that. But I think in part for that reason – and in part for the desire just to see how the team continues to develop – this is the best thing for the Mets. It doesn’t mean Terry won’t be with us long term, and it doesn’t mean he’ll be judged on wins and losses either.”

Collins is the final year of his contract, which he originally signed in November 2010.

Brian Erni

On this one, I disagree with Alderson. A manager is able to run his team best when he has stability. A lame duck situation is the worst case scenario for everyone involved. It sends a mixed message to the players. Over the course of the long season, players can tune out a manager’s voice, especially if they think he may not be there for the long haul. Yes, Collins has yet to finish with a winning season here, but let’s face it: the deck hasn’t exactly been stacked with talent. Anyone I’ve talked to has said the same thing about Collins — he does a good job communicating with the players and emphasizes going about their business as Major Leaguers the right away. Those are crucial to a developing team.

Economically, what could it possibly cost to extend Terry another season? One million? So, for $1 million, Collins is shown some good faith, the players know he isn’t in a vulnerable situation, and the organization can treat it as a buyout if they want to move on after this season. If they’re happy with how it progresses, the Mets can negotiate a long-term deal. To me, it seems like this would make sense to all parties involved. I don’t know how Terry feels, but I worry this contract situation could create hard feelings.

To listen to Alderson’s full interview with the Post, click here.