According to owner Steve Cohen on Twitter (because of course that’s how we’d find out), the New York Mets have hired Buck Showalter to be their new manager, beating out the other two finalists, Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Rays bench coach Matt Quartraro.
I’m pleased to announce Buck Showalter as the new manager of the New York Mets
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) December 18, 2021
Because of his ample experience, and the Mets desire to win in the short term, Showalter was considered the front-runner for a few weeks now. And after a second interview with the team yesterday, the decision was made. But while I do understand the decision to go with experience given the makeup of the team and the way the last two offseasons have played out in New York, I can’t help but wonder if the Mets made this decision with too much short-term thinking in mind. Espada and Quatraro are very popular, up-and-coming types and I think both would’ve been better long-term choices. Not our problem, I guess.
Of course, it’s not like they made a bad choice here. Showalter, 65, managed the Yankees (1992-1995), the Diamondbacks (1998-2000), the Rangers (2003-2006), and the Orioles (2010-2018). He’s also a three-time Manager of the Year award winner with a career .506 winning%.
He takes a strong Mets team, that may not be done adding yet this offseason, into the 2022 regular season with very lofty expectations and a ton of pressure to win. Let’s see what he can do.
I’ll add that Showalter is hardly the only manager of his … experience to be added to a high-pressure/win-now team. The Astros recently grabbed Dusty Baker, 72, to handle that mess in Houston, the White Sox tapped Tonny La Russa, 77, to take on a young White Sox team in Chicago, and the Angels went after Joe Maddon, 67, when he left the Cubs.