Albert Pujols said Sunday that he was not specifically lobbying for the New York Mets manager job, pushing back on a report that he had let friends know he wanted the opening after Carlos Mendoza was fired in late June. He said he would welcome a chance to manage someday, but framed that interest as much broader than one team.
He was making the comments while preparing to broadcast the Home Run Derby in Philadelphia, a reminder that his name has stayed in circulation even though he has not taken a big-league managing job yet. Pujols has been linked to almost every opening since his successful run in the World Baseball Classic, and the Mets vacancy is the latest to pull him back into the conversation.
Asked about the report, Pujols denied that he had been angling for the job in the way it was described. “If that opportunity comes, you know, I would love to (manage), not just with the Mets,” he said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh man, I want that job.’” He added that the suggestion made it sound as if he wanted it far more than he sees it himself.
That matters because the Mets are still looking for a manager, and interest in Pujols comes with real weight. He said he had interviewed with the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Angels last year, and he has been preparing for a future managerial role by studying games and consulting former managers. He also said that if the Mets organization called, he would at least be open to listening, adding that he was hoping to hear from them and that the franchise’s history, ownership and talent would make it a blessing to land such a first big-league job.
The wrinkle is that the Mets have not yet contacted him, and the search has not settled into a clear next step. Andy Green said he plans to return to his former front office job after the season is over, leaving the club without a confirmed manager and keeping Pujols' name in the open field of possibilities rather than on any formal list. For now, his message was simple: he wants to manage someday, but he does not want that desire mistaken for a campaign aimed at one vacancy.
