3:30 p.m.: In an interview with WFAN Tuesday, Backman reiterated that he left the Mets on his own, feeling disrespected by the team's management.
"It didn't look like there was any future for me..." Backman said. "When you work for an organization and do everything, you want to be respected for what you do. I just felt for my time being there the respect wasn't there. I could be wrong. They could say different. They could say they respected me. The things that went on this year turned my head in the direction it was time to move on.