Nothing about 2023 has been ideal for the Mets. Now in the final month of the regular season, it’s time to evaluate all aspects of the operation in advance of 2024. Is manager Buck Showalter safe for another year?
All indications have been pointing to yes. Mostly because team owner Steve Cohen has been steadfast in his support for Buck. However, here’s an interesting tidbit about Showalter’s future and the Mets’ recent front-office shakeup from Bob Nightengale’s recent USA Today notebook:
The Mets are expected to let their new president of baseball operations make the call on manager Buck Showalter after already cleaning house in the front office this past week with the firings of pro scouting director Jeff Lebow, farm director Kevin Howard, performance director Jim Cavallini and baseball development director Bryan Hayes.
Former Milwaukee Brewers GM David Stearns still is the heavy favorite to become the new president of baseball operations, although rumors persist that the Boston Red Sox could be in the mix. In either scenario, GM Billy Eppler will stay aboard.
Buck could very much still be part of the solution for winning baseball in Queens. But still, this is notable because it’s the first time we’ve seen his job status have more of a question mark to it.
It’s not surprising, though. If a new President of Baseball Operations is hired, they may want to have “their guy” manage the club. It’d be interesting to watch this unfold since Showalter was Cohen’s first managerial hire as owner.
He inherited Luis Rojas as manager following 2020 and decided to retain him for 2021 before ultimately parting ways. In his first year at the helm, Showalter won 101 games and captured his fourth Manager of the Year Award.
This year has been the complete opposite. New York is 63-74 and headed toward its fifth losing season since 2017. The 2024 season will be the final campaign of the three-year, $11.25 million deal Showalter signed. He’s due to earn $4 million.
If Showalter does get the axe, who could replace him? We ran down some options a little while ago. The most appealing would be Craig Counsell. Especially if David Stearns does end up landing in the Mets’ front office.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
