Mets' Terry Collins announces retirement

After weeks of speculation about the fate of his position as Mets manager, Terry Collins has decided to resign, per a tweet from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Notably, Collins will remain with the Mets, but in a front-office role.

It had long been assumed that the 2017 season would be Collins' last at the helm of the injury-ridden Metropolitans, but it had seemed that his tenure would end at the hands of GM Sandy Alderson instead of via his own resignation.

Collins led the Mets to the World Series in 2015, a six-game series that ended with a loss to the Royals. However, the rest of his time in New York has been controversial, to say the least. Marc Carig of Newsday has a must-read article detailing the tension between Collins and the Mets' front office; Carig reveals that owner Fred Wilpon protected Collins from being fired by Alderson on numerous occasions, including earlier this season. Alderson reportedly disagreed with Collins' overuse of some relievers early on in the season, and his continued preference to play veterans over younger players, even as the Mets' season spiraled downward.

The Mets can now officially begin their search for a new manager, with Mike Puma of the New York Post reporting that early “persons of interest” for the job include former White Sox manager (and former Met) Robin Ventura, Astros bench coach Alex Cora, and current Mets hitting coach Kevin Long. Former Mets coaches Bob Geren and Chip Hale, both of whom have managerial experience at the major-league level, are also under consideration. The fate of Collins' staff is as of now unknown, but Puma does report that it is expected that pitching coach Dan Warthen will not be retained.

It can be all but assumed that the 68-year-old Collins will have managed his last game after Sunday's bout against the Phillies. He entered today with a record of 551-582 with the Mets, and a cumulative managerial record of 995-1016, which includes his stints as skipper of the Astros (1994-96) and Angels (1997-99).