Mets Owner Steve Cohen Announces Buck Showalter As Team’s Next Manager

Buck Showalter will become the next manager of the Mets, owner Steve Cohen announced via Twitter. 

Showalter, 65, is a three-time American League Manager of the Year with 1,551 wins in his 20-year managerial career. Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro were also under consideration for the job, according to ESPN.

Per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Mets will sign Showalter to a three-year deal.

After starting his managerial career with the Yankees in 1992, Showalter last coached in 2018, his final year of a nine-season stint with the Orioles. 

Showalter will succeed Luis Rojas, whose team option for 2022 was declined after the Mets missed out on the playoffs for the fifth straight season. New York went 77–85 last year, finishing third in the NL East.

The Mets have been busy in the offseason so far, giving Showalter plenty of talent in his first season. Despite losing pitcher Noah Syndergaard to the Angels in free agency, the Mets signed outfielder Starling Marte to a reported four-year, $78 million deal. 

But the team’s biggest move came in spending $130 million on a three-year contract for three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer.  The Mets also signed outfielder Mark Canha and infielder Eduardo Escobar before the lockout began.

• Inside The Mets: Why Mark Teixeira Believes Buck Showalter Is The ‘Smartest Man In Baseball’

For more news on the Mets, head over to Inside The Mets.