Five possible managerial candidates for the New York Mets
During the lockout, none of the MLB teams can make any transactions. However, two things that they can do is find a manager and fill out their coaching staff. That’s something that’s the top priority for the New York Mets during the lockout.
There have been some names that have been rumored to be candidates for the job, including some that may surprise you so here are five possible managerial candidates for the New York Mets.
Ron Washington would be a fit for the New York Mets
After Ron Washington finished his playing career, he became a minor league coach for the New York Mets so his return would be somewhat of a homecoming.
Washington, who turns 70 in April, is obviously an older manager but he is known for being able to connect with younger players (Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, etc.). He was on a World Series-winning squad for the first time in 2021 with the Braves but that could get him another managerial gig after he managed Texas from 2007 through 2014, where he went to two World Series and has a career .521 winning percentage.
He told our colleague Robert Murray that he does want to manage again, as well, so he would be a great fit for the Mets.
Curtis Granderson may be a surprising managerial candidate for the New York Mets.
Robert Murray reported on Twitter late on Friday night that Curtis Granderson is among names being considered by the New York Mets for their managerial job. Considering that he has no coaching or managerial experience, he may be a peculiar name for the job but there are a few ways that he would be a great fit.
Granderson, 40, is an affable guy who never had issues with, well, anybody in his 16-year career in the majors. He has won the Roberto Clemente Award, the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award four times, was named one of the friendliest people in baseball by players, and has been the face of numerous charities, primarily charities trying to introduce baseball into inner cities. The main charity has been “The Players Alliance,” in which he is the President.
He is a media-savvy guy as well as he has spent the past few seasons as a post-season analyst for TBS.
Considering he, seemingly, doesn’t have a blemish on his resumé after spending half of his career playing with the Mets or Yankees, he would be the top candidate (at least on paper) of people to consider that have never coached or managed before.
Buck Showalter has probably been the top name mentioned for the New York Mets
Buck Showalter’s name has been the name that has been bandied about the most for the managerial job of the New York Mets and for good reason. His first managerial job was with the New York Yankees from 1992 through 1995 so we know that he can handle the spotlight and media of New York.
Mets GM Billy Eppler also recommended that the Los Angeles Angels hire Showalter over Joe Maddon before the 2020 season when Eppler still was with the Angels as their GM. However, Showalter is not a perfect fit.
He tends to be an old-school kind of guy where Eppler, owner Steve Cohen, and team President Sandy Alderson are more analytically-minded than Showalter.
Additionally, Showalter may want the contingency that he would be able to hire his own coaching staff as with the previous managerial spots he has had before.
Some possible names could include:
- Former MLB catcher Einar Díaz (coached for Showalter in Baltimore and played for him in Texas)
- Current Angels bullpen coach Dom Chiti (coached for Showalter in Texas and Baltimore)
- Former MLB infielder Jim Presley (was the hitting coach for Showalter in Arizona and Baltimore)
- Current Rangers special assistant Mark Connor (was bullpen/pitching coach for Showalter in Yankees, Arizona, Texas, and Baltimore and was a minor league pitching coach with the Yankees when Showalter was playing in the minors)
- Former Mets manager Willie Randolph (coached for Showalter in New York and with the Orioles but with his old ties with the Mets, maybe not a fit)
- Former Mariners bench coach Don Wakamatsu (was Showalter’s bench coach in Texas and nearly was his bench coach in Baltimore. He was also just released by Texas as Chris Woodward’s bench coach)
- Former MLB catcher Rod Barajas (played for Showalter in Arizona and Texas. He was a coach for the Padres but with Bob Melvin, largely, picking his own coaches, he may need a new job).
- Long-time third base coach Brian Butterfield (Showalter and Butterfield go way back to 1982 when they played together for the Yankees Double-A team in Nashville. Butterfield was Showalter’s third base coach in New York and Arizona and he was the third base coach for the Angels in 2020 and 2021. Billy Eppler was there in 2020).
- Former Mets coach Glenn Sherlock (was a coach for the Mets from 2017 through 2019 but coached for Showalter in New York and Arizona)
- Former Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca (was a coach in the Yankees system when Showalter played and managed in the minors, coached for him in Arizona, and managed in the minors for Baltimore when Showalter was there)
As most of those guys have coached under Showalter in multiple places, he likely will bring a few of them aboard with him if he is hired.
Brad Ausmus is another candidate to be the manager of the New York Mets
In 2013 or so, Brad Ausmus was viewed as a guy that could be a phenomenal manager in the near future. Ausmus, now 52, was a special assistant with the Padres then after he played 18 seasons in the majors and, after all, a lot of catchers become managers.
The Detroit Tigers, where Ausmus played for three of those 18 seasons, picked him as the replacement for Jim Leyland.
The problem was that do due to ineptitude by the Tigers front office and poor managing by Ausmus, the Tigers weren’t very good for most of his tenure there. The Tigers did not extend his contract after it expired after the 2017 season. Billy Eppler hired him as a special assistant for 2018 and in 2019, Eppler chose him as their new manager. He signed a three-year deal but was canned after just one season due to the Angels vastly performing under expectations.
There’s a personal connection there with Eppler but Ausmus is not a good manager and wouldn’t be a good fit but there’s definitely a chance that he’s the guy that’s picked.
Call To The Pen’s Kevin Henry examined Ausmus’s case in more depth a few weeks ago.
Bruce Bochy being hired by the New York Mets would be a coup
Bruce Bochy would be the best hire for the New York Mets, if he wants the job. He retired from the San Francisco Giants managerial job after the 2019 season but he said that he would be open to managing in the future.
Would managing a team that is in a “win now” mode for a team that he used to play for (in 1982) be what Bochy is looking for? Perhaps.
If the Mets could get the three-time World Series manager and sure-fire future Hall of Famer to manage the team, that would, arguably, be their biggest move of the offseason, topping signing Max Scherzer.
Some other candidates could include former Angels manager Mike Scioscia, former Blue Jays manager (and former Mets player and former Mets minor league manager) John Gibbons, Carlos Beltran (who the Mets hired for 2020 before firing him due to the Astros cheating scandal, and Astros bench coach Joe Espada, who has interviewed with the Angels, Yankees, and other places for their managerial jobs as well.
dark. Next. Your FAQ guide to the MLB lockout and history of them
The New York Mets have a lot of good options for a manager but they will have to make a good enough pick to win the World Series for the first time in over 35 years.