Mets Former Manager Lands Role With MLB Network

Back in December of 2021, the New York Mets were able to convince Buck Showalter to leave his studio gig and take over as their next skipper.

The legendary manager was initially seen as a great hire for a Mets franchise looking to get back into relevance following Steve Cohen becoming the owner of the team.

He signed a three-year contract and his tenure got off to a great start.

New York had their first 100-win season since 1988 and looked to be on their way to capturing an NL East title until they were caught by the Atlanta Braves in September.

But, Showalter was named National League Manager of the Year after getting the Mets into the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Unfortunately, things in the postseason also fizzled out as they were eliminated in the third game of the Wild Card round by the San Diego Padres.

There were major expectations placed upon the team heading into 2023 following the acquisition of Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga to fortify their starting rotation.

The disappointing year ended with Showalter getting fired by new president of baseball operations David Stearns after they finished 12 games under .500.

So, the skipper is on to his next gig, but it's not in the dugout.

According to Christian Arnold of The New York Post, Showalter has been hired by MLB Network to be a studio analyst for the upcoming season.

He's rejoining the network where he worked from 2020-21.

"We loved having Buck with us a couple years ago given his on-field expertise and years of baseball knowledge. Having gone up against the new faces and stars of our game, and managing under the new on-field rules, Buck will only make our content stronger this season," MLB Network Senior Vice President of Production Marc Caiafa said in a statement.

This came on the heels of Showalter missing out on the Los Angeles Angels job during the offseason.

How long the 67-year-old will stay in his role as a network analyst will be seen since he's also had separate stints at ESPN and YES Network in between his managerial jobs.

"I enjoyed my time at MLB Network with people I know and respect, so when this opportunity came up, I couldn't say no," Showalter said in a statement.