The New York Mets have had a busy offseason so far. In anticipation of the MLB lockout, they signed outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha, they brought infielder Eduardo Escobar, and they signed star pitcher Max Scherzer. In the middle of all that hoopla, they also welcomed new general manager Billy Eppler, who was behind most of those moves.
The Mets, however, still need to find a manager after deciding not to renew Luis Rojas’ contract for next season. The search, much like the GM one, hasn’t been as smooth as originally hoped, but there is already a list of candidates for the job.
Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada, Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Don Kelly and former major-league player and manager Brad Ausmus are among the early candidates.
The Mets like Showalter
But one veteran skipper is also under consideration for the job: Buck Showalter. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Showalter is “high on the list” of potential candidates to occupy the Mets’ managerial job.
The last time Showalter was on the dugout was in 2018 with the Baltimore Orioles, a team he managed since 2010.
One candidate that is reportedly no longer an option is Curtis Granderson. The former Mets and Yankees player (he spent almost a decade in the Big Apple back in his playing days) is, per Heyman, not currently interested in the Mets’ position.
Granderson was one of the smartest players in the league, knows the game, has the respect of players and would be a younger, modern manager, but it looks he won’t be pursuing a job as a skipper at the time. At the moment, he is the president of the Players Alliance, has a job in broadcasting with TBS.
Because of the MLB lockout, the Mets are expected to take their time in their managerial search.