Buck Stops Here?
Process still playing out, but Showalter appears to be the leader in the clubhouse
From the New York Mets’ standpoint, it must be kind of nice to conduct their managerial search with absolutely nothing else on the docket. Not ideal, by any means. But when one door closes, blah blah blah.
With MLB’s lockout of the players in full swing and a freeze on anything roster-related in place, outside of minor league transactions (example: Wednesday’s MiLB portion of the Rule 5 draft; Mets selected two pitchers, Jacob Resnick of SNY has you covered there), the only major league business the Mets can really accomplish during this downtime is hiring a skipper.
That works. And the lack of time constraints is playing into the Mets’ hands. They’re getting every opportunity to make sure they’re hiring the right candidate for what they’re trying to do.
Though, at the moment, all signs are pointing to one individual.
Former Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Orioles manager Buck Showalter’s status has been elevated to that of odds-on favorite as the process has played out, and not without merit. A decades-long run of relevance in this game is nothing to scoff at, even if he is four years removed from an MLB bench.
With the reported support of Mets owner and CEO Steve Cohen (per Michael Marino; Twitter) and New York’s brand new free-agent addition and future Hall of Famer, Max Scherzer (Pat Ragazzo, SI.com), Showalter’s hiring may not be a foregone conclusion just yet, but with that level of lobbying, the Buck may stop here.
Mike Puma of the New York Post offered an update on the process Wednesday (Pirates bench coach Don Kelly removed himself from consideration later in the evening; Joel Sherman, New York Post) and the Mets certainly appear to be exploring all their options.
Puma reported that Showalter’s interview “went really well”, adding that Mets brass came away impressed. Again, nothing is engraved in stone just yet, but it appears we’re getting close to that point. And that would be fine. We can’t say we were all for it when the idea was first brought up, but we’re coming around.
While he may not be the Year 2022 manager some had been hoping for, Showalter is experienced, respected, and comes with a three-ring binder full of high-profile recommendations. That all checks some big boxes with respect to where the organization currently stands in its journey out of the mucky-muck.
Former Orioles star Adam Jones’ endorsement on Twitter last week struck a chord, and can certainly be applied to the Mets‘ needs.
And even if Showalter is the Mets’ pick and has been from the start, speaking with any and every candidate they might have interest in — even if their minds are already made up regarding the hiring potential of that particular individual — can have its benefits.
Outside of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, the Mets’ coaching staff is bare. And no, bringing in Matt Quatraro (Tampa Bay bench coach) for a managerial interview then offering him the bench coach job isn’t what we’re suggesting. But a good conversation with an attractive candidate can lead to other possibilities with regards to staff or department hires. All good things.
No need to rush this one. Making sure you’re making the right call is paramount.
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Tim, this was the perfect "one-stop-shop" read for ALL things Mets Manager Hire! I actually like the fact that nothing else is on Billy & Co.'s agenda so they can focus all their energy on getting us the Right Man for the Job!!