Mets Hire Buck Showalter To Be Next Manager
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The inevitable has happened.
The New York Mets have hired Buck Showalter to become the 24th manager in franchise history, as team owner Steve Cohen tweeted out on Dec. 18. Showalter's contract will be for three-years, per MLB Network.
Showalter, 65, was viewed as the heavy favorite to land the job, which is exactly how things played out in the end.
With the three finalists coming down to Showalter, Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, the Mets ultimately decided to roll with the most experienced candidate of the group.
Showalter previously managed the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Orioles across 20 seasons as a big-league skipper. He last managed the Orioles from 2010-2018, and has been serving as an analyst for YES and MLB Network since leaving Baltimore.
Now, Showalter will get a shot at leading a team to the World Series, which is something he hasn't done throughout his managerial career. The last step for him to punch his ticket to the Hall of Fame is to win a title, and that's exactly what Cohen and general manager Billy Eppler had in mind when they hired him.
After spending $254.5 million in free agency prior to the lockout, the Mets signaled that they are in win-now mode. As a result, they brought in a win-now manager in Showalter.
Mets newly signed star pitcher Max Scherzer also made it known that he preferred Showalter to become the team's next manager, as sources told Inside the Mets on Dec. 7.
The Mets conducted second-round interviews this past week, which were held at Cohen's house, per SNY. Quatraro went on Tuesday, Espada was on Thursday and last but not least was Showalter on Friday.
While the Mets were impressed with the latter two candidates, Showalter is the one who came out on top and it did not take long for them to make a decision after speaking with him for the second time last night. According to The New York Post, Showalter had another meeting with Eppler this morning and was told that he would be the next manager of the Mets.
Despite MLB transactions currently being frozen due to the work stoppage, Showalter can still fill out his coaching staff before a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.
