Report: Terry Collins likely to return as New York Mets' manager next season

Mets manager Terry Collins' contract expires at the end of the 2013 season. (Denis Poroy/Getty Images) The New York Mets have yet to commit to manager Terry

Mets manager Terry Collins' contract expires at the end of the 2013 season. (Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

The New York Mets have yet to commit to manager Terry Collins beyond this season, but there is a "strong expectation" that he will remain in the role next season, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin is reporting.

The team picked up Collins' option for 2013 last September, before the original two-year contract he signed in 2010 was set to expire.

The 64-year-old has led the Mets to a 213-245 record during his three years in New York. He owns a lifetime 657-679 (.492) record in nine years as a manager, including three-year stints with the Houston Astros and Anaheim Angels during the '90s.

Team officials do not intend to commit to re-signing Collins until after the season ends, according to the report.

From ESPNNewYork.com:

One reason not to commit now is that it protects the organization in case there is a serious swoon or other unforeseeable major event during the season's final month.

The Mets enter Sunday night's ESPN-televised game against the Washington Nationals with a 62-72 record. They are headed for their fifth straight losing season. But Collins has kept the clubhouse upbeat and motivated through a series of hindrances, including losing captain David Wright, ace Matt Harvey and closer Bobby Parnell to the disabled list as well as the trade of Marlon Byrd and John Buck to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Matt Harvey's elbow injury