When the New York Mets dismissed Luis Rojas as their manager, I suggested three possible successors - Dusty Baker, Joe Torre and Buck Showalter.
This afternoon, Mets owner Steve Cohen announced he had chosen Showalter and signed him to a 3-year contract.
Showalter comes to Queens with 20 years with MLB managerial experience under his belt with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles. Now it's true that Showalter has never won a World Series and has only made the post-season five times. He last managed in 2018 when the Orioles went a franchise worst 47-115.
But Showalter can handle New York and he can handle the monumental personalities in that clubhouse - Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. The Mets are one of those teams that require a veteran manager who can lay down the law and Showalter is the perfect fit.
Obviously there will be a great deal of pressure to bear to Mets to win under Showalter and with all the off-season acquisitions they have made they might need to win it all next season (barring difficulties with the MLB owners lockout).
It won't be a cakewalk. Obviously there is the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves who have won the NL East the past three seasons. The Philadelphia Phillies came within a hair of reaching the post-season in 2021 while there have been some interesting moves made by Miami Marlins GM Kim Ng such as signing free agent Avisail Garcia while acquiring second baseman Joey Wendle from the Tampa Bay Rays and Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings from the Pittsburgh Pirates. At this point, only the Washington Nationals look to be in rebuild mode.
Still, the New York Mets look a lot better than they have in a very long time and Showalter's hiring is a very good thing.
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