Former Mets manager Buck Showalter misses out on Angels’ vacancy
Buck Showalter is looking to manage again in 2024 but the Angels have filled the vacancy he was in the running for.
Los Angeles has decided to hire veteran manager Ron Washington for the position.
Washington was the third base coach for the Atlanta Braves since 2017 but has plenty of managerial experience. He led the Texas Rangers as their skipper from 2010-13, where he amassed a 664-611 record along with two division titles and a Wild Card berth.
Washington replaces Phil Nevin, who coached the Angels for a year and a half after Joe Maddon was let go in 2022.
As for Showalter, it’s unclear where the 67-year-old goes from here. There are a number of open managerial vacancies still (Astros, Padres, Brewers), but he hasn’t been linked to any of them.
Showalter, whom the Mets parted ways with at the end of the 2023 season with a year left on his contract, led the club to a 101-win season and a Wild Card berth in 2022. But the team underperformed this year, finishing 75-87. With the hire of David Stearns as the president of baseball operations, the team went in a different direction.
After interviewing a number of managerial candidates including Craig Counsell and Mark Kotsay, the Mets went with former Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza. Counsell, who was the presumptive favorite for the Mets job, accepted the job with the Chicago Cubs.
