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Mets announce manager Luis Rojas won't be back in 2022

The New York Mets ended their season on Sunday with a 77-85 record, and on Monday the internal changes began.

The Mets announced that they will not be picking up the 2022 option on manager Luis Rojas' contract, so they will once again be hiring a new skipper this offseason.

Both Rojas, who managed the team for two seasons, and president Sandy Alderson released statements about the move.

Rojas was the Mets' fourth manager in five years, though only three of them actually managed. Terry Collins, who managed the Mets for seven years, retired following the 2017 season, leading to the hiring of Mickey Callaway. Callaway — who was later banned by MLB through at least 2022 over sexual harassment allegations — was fired after two seasons, and then Carlos Beltran was hired.

But Beltran never made it onto the field or even into the clubhouse with the players. After Beltran's role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal was revealed, he and the Mets agreed to part ways. That's when Rojas entered the picture.

While it's not technically a firing, since they're simply letting his contract run out, that's essentially what this is. Between the thumbs down controversy and the months-long free fall from first place to third, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which Rojas would have kept his job after this season.

In fact, it's possible that not even a postseason berth could have saved him. Rojas is a holdover from the previous administration and ownership, hired by former GM Brodie Van Wagenen. Alderson and new owner Steve Cohen almost certainly want to employ a manager that they picked themselves, and unfortunately Rojas isn't that.

The Mets are entering an offseason of tremendous uncertainty, as acting GM Zack Scott is currently on administrative leave following a drunk driving charge. He was only named acting GM because Alderson's offseason pick to lead baseball operations, Jared Porter, was fired a month after taking the job after admitting to sending harassing, explicit texts to a female reporter in 2016.