Getty General Manager Dave Gettleman of the New York Giants.
“He does know that the batting average has got to increase going forward.” That’s just one of many stern warnings that New York Giants owner John Mara has handed out to the team’s highly-debated general manager, Dave Gettleman, this offseason.
Eight total wins over the past two seasons and consecutive last-place finishes have dampened the resume of a GM who has found likely franchise cornerstones in each of his first two drafts on the job.
However, the selections of Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones haven’t cooled down the hot seat under Gettleman’s backside. In fact, according to Bleacher Report, it’s only increased the temperature, as Maurice Moton believes the GM is on the “the hottest hot seat” in 2020.
The New York Giants won’t give Dave Gettleman extra time to field a competitive team with a new coaching staff.
Giants co-owner John Mara said Gettleman’s ‘batting average has got to increase going forward.’ According to The Athletic’s Jay Glazer, Big Blue’s general manager made a compelling pitch to keep his job.
‘He made a case to ownership to come back,’ Glazer wrote. ‘He presented a plan for how he’ll turn it around in a year. That needs to happen. If it doesn’t happen, he’ll be gone and rightfully so.’
Now, Gettleman has to deliver on his word. Under his stewardship, the Giants have a 9-23 record, taking a slight step back in the win column between 2018 and 2019.
The Giants selected Daniel Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in 2019. He showed flashes, throwing for 3,027 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. With running back Saquon Barkley and three other first-rounders since 2018, Mara wants to see his team headed in the right direction. Gettleman needs three years of offseason roster building to pay off.
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Gettleman’s Plan
As noted in Moton’s comments above, The Athletic’s Jay Glazer recently touched on the plan Gettleman presented to Giants brass to retain his job this offseason. That said plan revolved around turning things around in a year.
So what does a successful season look like for Big Blue in 2020? Mara has refused ‘to quantify the number of wins’ he needs to see, but chances are it would be around .500 mark, while potentially being in the thick of the playoff race come December.
Glazer believes that if New York suffers a similar fate as to what they have in recent years, Gettleman is as good as gone.
He presented a plan for how he’ll turn it around in a year. That needs to happen. If it doesn’t happen, he’ll be gone and rightfully so. If he doesn’t follow through, it’s time to go. I would hope that Gettleman has also learned a bit about himself and his interactions with people during this process. Anytime you’re on the hot seat, you have to look inside yourself and say, ‘What’s my responsibility in this?’ and make changes.
There’s no denying Gettleman has had more hits than strikeouts over his two-plus year run with New York. However, if he doesn’t get his “batting average” up in 2020, another GM will almost certainly reap the benefits of his successful roster decisions.
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