The New York Mets made the right decision last winter

Last offseason, the New York Mets interviewed candidates to take over leadership roles following the departure of Buck Showalter. They eventually landed on Carlos Mendoza and their new captain just got them to Game 6 of the NLCS. They were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Mets went further this season than most people thought, so it was certainly a successful season.

One of the other candidates interviewed for the Mets job was A's manager Mark Kotsay. That's not to say that Kotsay couldn't have achieved the same success with that Mets team, just that the task before him was completely different. Kotsay manages a young roster through a difficult rebuild while also serving as the face of the franchise when it comes to relocation issues.

Mendoza has dealt with managing the largest media market and a whole host of players who have signed big contracts, as well as some big personalities. It's a different space to navigate and Mendoza has done an excellent job this season.

When it comes to the “OMG” celebrations, it's hard to imagine Kotsay approaching it any other way, as he likes to let his boys have personalities in the clubhouse. Most of the other celebrations were hosted by fans and had less to do with the team, so Grimace wouldn't have been a problem for Kotsay.

The Mets surpassed their Pythagorean record by one win and finished with a record of 89-73 – a 14-game improvement from 2023. The A's improved by 19 wins compared to their 2023 season, but still had plenty after the win more to improve just 50 games ago a year ago. They also beat their Pythagorean record by one win.

It's impossible to say whether Kotsay would have had the same success with the Mets as Mendoza because the situations are completely different. What we can see is that Kotsay is the right person for the role he currently holds. He brings the right temperament and attitude to a young clubhouse as the organization strives for better seasons in the future.

Kotsay is under contract with the A's through the 2025 season, the team's first of at least three seasons in Sacramento. GM David Forst said earlier this offseason that they would have to talk about an extension at some point. It doesn't seem out of the question that Kotsay could be interviewed for another gig elsewhere in the league this winter, should an interesting option arise.

Despite the 179-307 (.368) record, Kotsay is highly appreciated for the work he has done at this club considering the rosters he received in 2022 and 2023 as well as the entire relocation saga.