When Mets general manager Sandy Alderson stepped aside last week, citing his recurring cancer, his handpicked manager received a double gut punch.
The first punch was the thought of a friend and respected boss battling for his health. Then came the natural inclination for Mickey Callaway, a first-year manager, to wonder what it meant for his own future.
“That definitely went through my head,” Callaway said earlier this week. “The guy who brought me in, and I think we were very aligned for what we wanted for the future in this organization, so it definitely entered my mind.