The Mets have fined manager Mickey Callaway and pitcher Jason Vargas for their roles in Sunday's locker room altercation with a reporter, GM Brodie Van Wagenen told the media Monday afternoon.
Callaway cursed at a reporter and Vargas had to be restrained from charging him during a confrontation in the team's clubhouse after the loss Sunday.
"The altercation was disappointing," Van Wagenen said to reporters Monday. "It was regrettable on many levels, and we hope that moving forward, we can ensure that there is a respectful environment for both players and the media, as well as everybody else that exists in there. We have taken action, and we as an organization have decided to fine both Mickey and Jason for their roles in the incident. At this point we're ready to move on and continue our focus on trying to win games."
Van Wagenen went on to state that he does not expect Major League Baseball to hand down any further punishment for either Callaway or Vargas.
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The dustup with Tim Healey of Newsday occurred after the Mets blew a late lead in a 5-3 defeat to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. There was no physical contact.
"I think yesterday was a tough loss," Van Wagenen said. "It was an opportunity that got away from us. We were in a position to win the series against the Cubs, we played well for a couple of days and we played well for seven innings of that game. So I think frustrations were high.
"I think he understands that from a leadership position, we can't lose control. He knows that's not something that should have happened, and certainly not something he intends to happen again."
After his standard postgame news conference, Callaway walked past Healey in the clubhouse. Healey told Callaway he would "see you tomorrow," and Callaway responded by calling Healey an obscenity. Callaway walked away and then returned, cursing at Healey again and telling him to leave the clubhouse.
Vargas then stared down Healey and eventually tried to charge him. Players stepped in to restrain the veteran left-hander.
USA TODAY Images "My confidence remains the same in Mickey's ability to do his job," the general manager said Monday.
Van Wagenen wasn't the only member of the Mets to speak to the media regarding Sunday's incident, as the manager took questions from reporters as well.
"I understand that I can't control the action of others or the words of others, but I can always control my reaction to those things," Callaway said about the altercation. "I think everybody deserves respect regardless of job title or role... I hope moving forward we can all do our job honestly, critically, and understand that other people are involved...
"It was a misunderstanding, obviously. For things like that to happen, it's always a misunderstanding. I'm sure there was no malintent by either. It's just something that happened, and we have to move forward."
Callaway was given several opportunities to apologize for Sunday's misunderstanding, yet originally did not.
A few hours later, the manager called the media back into his office to clarify that he did in fact apologize to Healey for the incident.
"I understand I got some feedback that- I wanted you guys to know that in my meeting with Tim, I apologized for my reaction," Callaway said during his brief, second meeting with the media Monday. "I regret it, I regret the distraction it's caused to the team and, like I said earlier, it's something that we'll learn from. It's something I'm not proud of. I'm not proud of the distraction, I'm not proud of what I did to Tim, so for that, I'm definitely sorry."
While the manager eventually did show remorse for his actions, the same cannot be said about Vargas, as the veteran starter did not sound contrite about his role in Sunday's altercation.
"I think everybody is aware of the situation that happened yesterday," the 36-year-old said Monday. "I think it's unfortunate for all parties. It's an unfortunate distraction. But tonight we've got the Phillies to play. The team has addressed the situation, the organization has made a statement, and that's really all there is to it. So thanks for taking your time and we'll see you guys after the game."
Vargas did not take questions and immediately left the media scrum after making his brief comments.