Buck Showalter not returning as Mets manager next season
NEW YORK — Buck Showalter broke the news himself. The Mets manager announced Sunday before the final game of the season that he will not return to the dugout in 2024.
Showalter waited until the end of his pregame press conference to announce his departure, citing new front office management.
“The new leadership, they’re going to go in a different direction with the manager next year,” Showalter said at Citi Field.
The Mets later issued a statement clarifying that it was a decision made by the team, not the manager.
“We are heading in a new direction, with a new President of Baseball Operations and we let Buck know we’ll be parting ways. We will begin the search for a new manager immediately,” owner Steve Cohen said in a statement. “Buck is a generational manager, and we value what he has done for our team, including leading us to a 101 win season and postseason berth last year. The commitment and heart that Buck brings to the game will be felt by our organization for years to come. We wish Buck all the best in the next chapter of his career.”
This could end an illustrious tenure as a skipper that began in the Bronx in 1992 and saw the former infielder from Florida win more than 1,000 games over a 22-year span.
The four-time Manager of the Year winner finishes his career with a 1726-1664 record. He guided the Mets to 101 wins in 2022 and a trip to the postseason and was entrusted with presiding over the most expensive team ever created in 2023. The Mets fell apart, finishing toward the bottom of the NL East standings.
The Mets are 74-86 as they conclude disappointing 2023 campaign against the playoff-bound Philadelphia Phillies.
Showalter has another year left on his contract, but with no assurances beyond 2024 from owner Steve Cohen and a new president of baseball operations, David Stearns, set to take over next week, he would have been made a lame duck.
Cohen has called the season “incredibly frustrating.” The hedge fund billionaire did not entirely place the blame for the season on the manager when his job status was addressed at the trade deadline, but he also didn’t exactly give him a vote of confidence.
The Mets opened the season with a payroll of $364 million. Including luxury tax penalties, the number rose to upwards of $400 million. But things went wrong right from the start.
Closer Edwin Diaz was injured during the World Baseball Classic and general manager Billy Eppler never found a way to replace him. Right-hander Justin Verlander was injured less than 24 hours before Opening Day. Right-hander Max Scherzer didn’t look like himself early.
An aging roster struggled to adjust to new rules implemented in the 2023 season. Mental mistakes were made and bullpen blowups became a regularity. Showalter came under fire for his lineup construction and his bullpen management. He attempted to deflect the criticism and took responsibility for the moves, but later hinted at many of those decisions being a collaborative effort with the front office.
There were allegations by former Mets outfielder Tommy Pham in recent weeks of the team having a poor work ethic. Defensive miscues were blamed on the manager by fans and media alike.
However, some players, like Francisco Lindor, were vocal in their support for the manager. Scherzer said he “loved” playing for Showalter and former outfielder Mark Canha praised him on a podcast for his attention to detail.
Ultimately, the Mets and Showalter felt it best to make a change and get a clean slate as Stearns steps into his new role leading the baseball operations efforts.
The Mets hired Showalter on December 18, 2021, bringing him in part to restore some respectability to an organization that had been marred by sexual harassment scandals, on-field controversies and a collapse that saw the Mets tumble from first place in the NL East to out of the playoffs completely in the first year of Cohen’s ownership.
Showalter came only a month after the Mets hired Eppler and there was early speculation that he would clash with the club’s analytic-minded goals. Yet the old-school skipper proved to be adaptable to a new-school approach to the game. He had the respect of a veteran clubhouse and drew high praise from the team’s leadership group.
However, he was perceived to be tough on rookies and highly emphasized their defensive abilities. The club is relying on rookies Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez to take significant steps in their development next year and contribute at a high level. A new voice may be beneficial for a younger group.
The Mets were the fourth spot for the 67-year-old Showalter. He managed the Yankees from 1992-1995, the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998-2000 and the Baltimore Orioles from 2010-2018. After Dusty Baker managed the Houston Astros to a World Series last fall, Showalter became the winningest active manager to have never won a championship.
