Because the New York Mets' leadership has made decisions rival executives would never consider, because the team is such an outlier in how business is conducted in this analytics-driven era, the team is an endless source of fascination to other front offices.
Many officials with other clubs could not understand the logic behind the Robinson Cano deal, nor the choice to cling to valuable assets such as Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard at this summer's trade deadline when the Mets were so far behind in the standings.
But now that the Mets are where they are -- a team with a good rotation, a budding superstar in first baseman Pete Alonso, a thin farm system, and a need for a new manager after firing Mickey Callaway -- some rival officials use similar phrases in describing their current context.
"They are pot committed," said one executive, using a betting term.
"Pot committed," said another.
A third: "They are all-in to win next year."
This should inform their decision in hiring their next manager. Callaway was viewed by the Mets, Phillies and other teams as a promising managerial candidate, but his lack of experience showed in his first year. Callaway got better at his job as time went by, but because the Mets' 2018 season was a disappointment and new GM Brodie Van Wagenen did not hire him, Callaway was effectively on double-secret probation through 2019, needing to prove himself to the recast front office. And unless the Mets made the playoffs this year, as forecast by Van Wagenen when he suggested in the spring that his club was the team to beat, that was almost certainly never going to happen.
The win-now moves for the Mets raised expectations significantly for 2019, but the pressure will be even greater in 2020, with trade-deadline acquisition Marcus Stroman a year away from free agency, Syndergaard and Steven Matz two years away, and Jacob deGrom -- who will likely win his second Cy Young Award this fall -- in his prime. The Mets probably should not gamble all that they have at stake on someone with little or no experience as a manager, and there are some really good veteran options available. The safe play -- the right play -- is to pay the cost for one of the big names.
But remember: The Mets usually don't see the world the way other teams do.
There are essentially three categories of candidates from which to choose:
Category 1: The Big Dogs
Joe Girardi, who has more than a decade of experience managing, and more than that in playing in New York.
Joe Maddon, who was just let go by the Cubs and, according to sources, is set to interview with the Angels.
Mike Scioscia, who managed the Angels for 19 years. He has never closed the door on managing again.
Buck Showalter, long renowned for his excellent in-game decisions, and with some New York years on his resume, having managed the Yankees.
And Bruce Bochy, who has 2,003 regular-season wins and was part of three world championships in the high-pressure market of San Francisco.
Any one of these established managerial stars would be viewed as a credible hire by the Mets, someone who could comfortably drop into the role and run the pitching staff, and be comfortable in dealing with outsized media attention.
But the Mets would probably have to pay well for that kind of experience. First-year managers typically make less than $1 million annually these days, and the Mets probably would have to pay two or three or four times that kind of rate to lure one of the Big Dogs, and maybe for a contract of no less than three years. Historically, the Mets don't pay their managers very well. They would have to change that practice.
And Van Wagenen would have to be comfortable bringing in somebody whose experience is far beyond his own on the management side in baseball -- somebody who might not always be under complete control of the front office, and someone with the stature to veer away from the organizational plan or messaging. This is not a small consideration.
Category 2: The Newbies
For example:
Luis Rojas, a Mets coach, and the son of Felipe Alou. He is highly respected within the organization and has earned the appreciation of players, and his age and pedigree are in line with a lot of the recent managerial hires around baseball -- the Kevin Cashes, Alex Coras and Aaron Boones of baseball, who are seen as really good communicators.
But he has no experience managing in the big leagues, and no experience managing in New York, where the slip of a phrase could become the next day's back-page headline.
Joe Espada, bench coach of the Astros. He's got lots of experience in baseball, and presumably would get the endorsement of Van Wagenen's college friend, Astros manager A.J. Hinch.
But he has no experience managing in the big leagues, and no experience managing in New York.
Category 3: Carlos Beltran
The ex-Met is highly respected by peers and is viewed by many executives as an excellent managerial candidate, should he ever want to pursue that job. He is deeply knowledgeable, other players love him and respond to him, and he is viewed as genuine and sincere.
But his relationship with the Mets did not end well, and while he has no experience managing in the big leagues, the Mets (or any other team) might have to pay him well. Beltran made more than $200 million in salary in his career, and has a wide range of interests outside of baseball.
The Mets are perceived as a chaotic organization -- Beltran will have his own view and insights about that -- and if the Mets were to have any shot of convincing him, they might not be able to do so with a lowball-type offer typical for a first-time manager.
A Beltran-Mets reunion seems like a total long shot.