Steve Cohen explains Buck Showalter decision, David Stearns' role in Mets' manager search
The Mets and manager Buck Showalter parting ways after two years is a decision that new president of baseball operations David Stearns made and not necessarily Steve Cohen, New York's owner explained Sunday.
"The way it works, when you bring in a president of baseball ops, I mean, they're entitled to bring in their own people," Cohen said following the Mets' 9-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, which ended New York's 2023 MLB season and Showalter's two-year tenure with the franchise. "Obviously, wasn't sure if David was going to join us. He finally joined us and it became clear that he wanted to go in a different direction, and that's certainly his right -- and I gave him that right.
"It's no different than when a CEO comes into a new company, right? They bring in some of their own people. This is not a reflection on Buck. Buck did everything we wanted him to do. Obviously, the season was a disappointment. But it's not Buck's fault, OK? It spread across the organization. But like I said, when you bring in a new head of baseball ops, they're entitled to bring in their own people."
Stearns, whom the Mets agreed to terms with Sept. 12, gets introduced Monday at noon.
"I've tried to keep it really high-level with David, and he'll be obviously starting tomorrow, so these are really his decisions -- I've empowered him," Cohen said when asked about the Mets' search for a new manager. "And so, he'll make that decision."
As the 38-year-old Stearns digs in, Showalter, 67, departs with a 159-129 record from 2022-23.
"It's two years," Cohen said of Showalter, who followed a 101-61 debut with a 74-87 setback. "We had a great season last year. This year, obviously, didn't go the way we wanted it to go. Buck did everything we wanted him to do. Not everything went right this year, and he kept an even keel, the players loved him, and these are always hard things to do. And so, I personally have no complaints. I enjoyed -- I loved having Buck here, and I think he did a fine job."
