Buck Showalter will not return as Mets manager after disastrous 2023 campaign
At the beginning, it seemed like the perfect match. But just two years later, with the expensive ruins of the 2023 season still smoldering, the relationship is over.
Buck Showalter announced before the New York Mets' final game of 2023 that he will not return as manager in 2024. Showalter, who was named the 2022 National League Manager of the Year, oversaw two seasons in New York: one that ended in disappointment and another that was a disappointment from start to finish.
“I wish things could have gone better this season because Mets fans deserve that," Showalter said via Tim Britton. "It’s not the ending I wanted, but I still love the city and the players.”
Team owner Steve Cohen released a statement shortly after Showalter made his announcement, clarifying that the Mets had fired him earlier in the day.
“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,” Cohen said. “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.”
The 2023 Mets were the most expensive team in baseball history, yet due to injuries, inconsistent play and plain bad luck, they were essentially out of the NL East and wild-card races by late June. The Mets finished with a 74-87 record, 30 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and 10 games out of the NL wild-card picture.
It didn't start that way, though. The vibes of the 2023 Mets were immaculate in the offseason and spring training. They had the most expensive team in baseball history, with a payroll of almost $345 million. Their rotation included future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, and their lineup featured slugger Pete Alonso and late-career breakout Jeff McNeil, as well as solid, proven guys such as Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo. Plus, their bullpen contained one of the game's best closers in Edwin Díaz. Even though their 2022 season had ended with a wild-card elimination after they won 101 regular-season games, the Mets were ready to bounce back.
But things started unraveling in spring training. The team lost Díaz for the season in March. Verlander's Mets debut was scratched due to injury. Scherzer was inconsistent. Jose Quintana needed surgery and would be out until July. By the second month of the season, it was clear that things weren't going well. Injuries were piling up, and the team wasn't jelling. The bullpen got increasingly thin and ragged. Starling Marte struggled coming off of two groin surgeries. As The Athletic's Tim Britton and Will Sammon reported in their recent exposé on the 2023 squad, seemingly everyone was underperforming, and problems were everywhere.
Then came June, one of the worst months in franchise history. The Mets went 7-19, dropped to fourth in the NL East and never recovered. By the time the trade deadline passed Aug. 1, Verlander, Scherzer and several other key players had been shipped out of town. This team, thought to be a postseason lock with a record-setting payroll, spent just two games in first place all season: Game 1 and Game 4.
It's not clear whether the 67-year-old Showalter wants to manage again. When he announced that he wouldn't return to the Mets in 2024, it sounded like he might be retiring. He hadn't managed for four years before he took on the Mets in 2022. If he decides to give MLB another shot, there's always room in the sport for a four-time Manager of the Year.
