Mets moving on from Buck Showalter after disappointing season

The New York Mets just finished one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history that saw them go from World Series contenders while boasting the highest payroll in baseball to being the biggest sellers at the deadline and finishing 75-87.

After failing to meet such lofty expectations, changes would be made, and the first big one happened on Sunday.

That change occurred before the Mets’ 87th loss of the season, a 9–1 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets announced that Buck Showalter would not be returning as the manager of the blue and orange.

A look back at Showalter’s time in Queens

After four years out of baseball, the Mets hired Showalter to replace the fired Luis Rojas.

In his first season in Queens, Showalter led the blue and orange to their first postseason appearance since 2016 as the Amazins went 101-61. 

Although the Mets won 101 games, a late-season sweep by the Atlanta Braves led to the Braves snagging the National League East despite the blue and orange leading the division for most of the season.

Losing the division caused New York to participate in the Wild Card round, where the San Diego Padres eliminated them in three games.

From Manager of the Year to unemployed

Despite the disappointing ending to the season, Showalter was awarded the 2022 National League Manager of the Year.

Showalter and the Mets entered 2023 with sky-high expectations, but a combination of injuries and poor performances led to a below .500 record at the trade deadline before Steve Cohen and the organization decided to reset, trading away many of its star players.

With a depleted roster, New York limped to a 75-87 record in 2023.

Why did the Mets move on from Showalter?

The Mets are going through an organizational-wide change that started at the trade deadline, dealing away many veterans for young, controllable players.

Showalter has been criticized for how he handles young talent. The Florida native often chooses to play veterans over rookies. With the organization’s youth movement, Showalter isn’t the right fit for that change in philosophy, thus the decision to go in a new direction.

In addition, New York has hired David Stearns to be the president of baseball operations, and he would likely prefer to have his own hire managing the squad.

Hopefully, for the Flushing faithful, manager number 24 will be the one that finally leads the Mets back to championship glory.