It has been assumed for months now that a New York City baseball manager is working with a really short leash.

That may still be the case. It may be, however, that it’s Willie Randolph of the Mets and not Joe Torre of the Yankees whose future might be hanging in the balance over the next few weeks.

Could Torre, who seems to consistently walk the plank without ever having to jump off, actually outlast Randolph as skipper of a New York team?

It’s possible.

As the Mets have imploded recently, Randolph has come under fire from fans, the media and — most importantly — Mets’ ownership.

“I’m disappointed with the way the team is performing overall, and that’s everyone, top to bottom,” Mets COO Jeff Wilpon told SI.com earlier this the week. “I’m disappointed in Omar, Willie, the players … that’s everyone. We shouldn’t be in this position. But we are. We’ve got to fight our way out and pull this out.”

The Mets are only 1.5 games ahead of the Phillies and are trying desperately to avoid what would be a historic collapse. If they do miss the playoffs, Randolph and his laid-back style will take much of the blame. The Record’s Bob Klapisch put it this way.

For the second year in a row, the Mets have the most talent and the biggest payroll in the National League, but they’ve been exposed as pushovers. If the Mets really want to talk about luck, they’d better pray they don’t end up in Citizens Bank Park in October: like the Cardinals in 2006, the Phillies now know the Mets will fold when the walls close in. Until this collapse, the Mets were able to defend themselves by pointing to the standings. How bad can things be, they bleated, sitting in first place since May 16? The Mets didn’t call a single players-only meeting all year before Tuesday. You could call it confidence or else the kind of complacency that’s bound to doom them. As one scout put it on Tuesday, “That [Mets] team should be up by 20 games. No one should even be close at this point.”

Whom to blame? Pick your poison. Randolph has positioned himself as the game’s most street-smart manager, but there’s no evidence his Yankee-honed wisdom is having any effect on the Mets. Getting swept by the Phillies last weekend was bad enough; in back-to-back losses to the Nationals, the Mets have twice blown 4-0 leads. They’ve looked lost, if not entirely panicked, while their lead shrunk to two games, pending the result of the Phillies’ late game.

Randolph insisted to reporters, “I’m passionate,” but his stoicism in the dugout makes him appear disconnected and out of touch.

While all of this has gone on, there has been a resurrection in the Bronx. The Yankees are suddenly the hottest team in the American League, are virtually guaranteed a playoff spot and amazingly sit just 1.5 games back of Boston in the American League East. All of this after trailing by 14.5 early on and looking like a team that had no chance to play .500 baseball, much less win the division.

Ever since that start, it’s been widely assumed that Torre had lost his magic touch — and had used up all of the good will generated by his four World Series rings — and that a new man would be in charge of the Yankees next spring.

Now, don’t be so sure. Torre’s deft touch in getting veterans like Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon to accept part-time roles, and his ability to adapt to handling a younger, less accomplished pitching staff, have been huge parts of the reason for the turnaround.

Has he done enough to justify staying on? I don’t know.

A first-round playoff implosion similar to the one the Yankees experienced last season against Detroit, might just guarantee that Torre will be out in the Bronx.

If that were to happen, would the Mets actually bring him in to replace Randolph? A conversation for another day, perhaps.

Torre’s fate probably still hinges on a couple of things.

First, if he can find a way to guide this team to another World Series title he can pretty much do what he wants. He could retire. He could stay on and bask in the adulation for a couple more seasons.

Short of that, what happens to the Yankee manager probably depends on whether or not GM Brian Cashman is making the decision or if the reclusive George Steinbrenner and his Tampa cronies make the call.

Cashman won’t can Torre unless the team is embarrassed in the playoffs again. Steinbrenner might, though, should the Yankees again fall short of their 27th World Championship.

Interesting, though, that right now Randolph’s seat seems a lot hotter than Torre’s.