Possible Managerial Candidates for New York Mets
The New York Mets have a lot of questions to answer this offseason, with the manager role becoming one of the biggest holes to fill after the firing of Buck Showalter.
With the end of the regular season in the rear-view, it is time to assess some candidates that could be running the show in New York next year.
Showalter was only the manager for two seasons with the Mets, taking them to the playoffs in 2022 with a 101-61 record. New York then made some massive moves, signing Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga along with a few complementary pieces and re-signing Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Diaz to big deals to make a World Series push.
However, it all came crashing down in 2023 when Showalter and his Mets finished 75-87 after spending more than any other team in the offseason. The massive disappointment of a campaign meant big changes and Showalter was fired subsequently. That being said, Showalter is a Hall-of-Fame level manager who has coached over 3,300 professional games. New York will have a lot of difficulty coming into the year to try and bring in a manager of that caliber, which is hard to find.
Unfortunately for New York, there will not be many managers of that caliber available. Dusty Baker’s contract with the Houston Astros expires this offseason, but it is highly unlikely he would not re-sign with Houston given the success of the franchise.
Aaron Boone is likely to return to the New York Yankees next season despite a tough year in the Bronx, and from a free agent standpoint, there are few on the market.
Gabe Kapler was let go by the San Francisco Giants three days before the season ended with San Francisco finishing at or below .500 for the second straight year. Before that, San Fran was 107-55 under Kapler, who won NL Manager of the Year in 2021. Perhaps, with the talent New York possesses, Kapler could unlock that form and could present himself as a top candidate for the opening.
Phil Nevin was fired by the Los Angeles Angels after yet another disappointing season, despite having two of the best players in baseball in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. It's hard to imagine Nevin managing the Mets after his recent failed stint with the Angels.
Craig Counsell is looking like a prime candidate for New York with his contract set to expire now that Milwaukee was bounced from the Wild Card. In nine seasons with the Brewers, Counsell posted a 707-625 record and made the playoffs five times, taking an organization with a struggling infrastructure to new heights. It is no secret that Counsell has a strong connection with former Brewers and newest Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, making the skipper the prime name to watch out for this offseason.
With the free agent market for managers looking thin otherwise, the Mets may have to look to assistant coaches, whether that be within the organization or not.
Within the organization, Eric Chavez will be a prime candidate for New York. He came over from the Yankees before the 2022 season as a hitting coach and was promoted to bench coach last season. Chavez already interviewed for the Angels vacancy and would be a seamless transition given his established relationship with people in the organization.
While Baker may re-sign in Houston, Astros bench coach Joe Espada could be another name that pops up for New York. Espada has been an assistant that has been on many team’s radars for a promotion and New York would be an incredible first destination. Espada has been around a winning culture in Houston and knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of baseball. The hope would be that he could bring that to the Mets organization.
Mets owner Steve Cohen will have to get creative this offseason with his front office in a bit of a rebuild and he will have to hit a home run with the hiring of the next manager as players, executives and fans alike are expecting late playoff pushes in the coming years. This hire could change the destiny of an organization that has poured more money and resources into their roster than any other team in baseball.
