HOUSTON — The Mets would have been better served had the Phillies retained Gabe Kapler.
Not because he is a bad manager (which he might be), but because it would have meant the Phillies would not be looking for a manager. There already was a lot of competition for candidates, with seven teams trying to fill an opening. But when the Phillies made it eight, that became the most overt competition for the Mets.
That’s because they share so much, from the NL East to their large Northeast market size. But at this moment, nothing is more relevant than that both are in win-now phase having come off of dissatisfying two-year runs with first-time managers: Kapler and Mickey Callaway.