Report: Mets owner stopped GM and CEO from firing Collins

Fred Wilpon made sure Terry Collins would see out his contract with the New York Mets.

Though general manager Sandy Alderson and chief executive officer Jeff Wilpon - the son of Fred - reportedly attempted to dismiss Collins on multiple occasions during his time with the Mets, the senior Wilpon is said to have repeatedly thwarted those efforts, over a dozen team sources told Newsday's Marc Carig.

"He got too chummy with him," one team official told Carig about Wilpon's amicable relationship with Collins.

It's not the first time this season Wilpon is said to have jumped to Collins' defense.

Back in May, as the Mets struggled to stay afloat in the NL East and Matt Harvey's infamous team-issued suspension dominated headlines, general manager Sandy Alderson had allegedly grown frustrated with Collins' recent in-game decisions. Collins' job as Mets skipper, however, was not under threat due to strong support from Wilpon in the front office.

Collins' contract with the club will come to an end following the 2017 season, to which the Mets reportedly expect the 68-year-old to retire from baseball. The skipper, however, spurned those assumptions earlier this week, adamantly stating he "will be in baseball, somewhere."