Buck Showalter Won’t Return as Mets Manager; Missed Playoffs Despite $343M Payroll

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Buck Showalter is out as manager of the New York Mets, announcing to reporters Sunday that he would not return for the 2024 season.

Showalter’s exit comes as little surprise after SNY’s Andy Martino reported on Sept. 25 that it was “probably like 50/50 at best” for him to return as manager in 2024.

His departure is also no surprise given the Mets’ reported clubhouse discord, which would suggest that he had lost his team.

New York has put together a disastrous 2023 season that sees the team fourth in the National League East with a 74-86 record and miss the postseason for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

The Mets entered the 2023 campaign with the highest payroll in baseball ($383 million) and astronomical expectations following the signings of three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander and Japanese ace Kodai Senga, among others.

However, things unraveled quickly for the Mets and by the time the Aug. 1 trade deadline rolled around, the franchise was ready to offload talent for future assets, and so it traded Verlander to the Houston Astros, his former team, and Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers.

How much Showalter contributed to the struggles is unclear as New York also dealt with numerous injuries, most notably one to star closer Edwin Díaz, who missed the entire 2023 season after suffering an injury during the World Baseball Classic.

Still, injuries can’t be to blame for everything, and the Mets needed to shake things up entering the 2024 season. That starts with the departure of Showalter and a new voice in the clubhouse.

Showalter, a four-time Manager of the Year, has gone 174-147 in his two-year tenure with the Mets, and it’s now unclear what the future holds for the 67-year-old after 22 seasons coaching in Major League Baseball.

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