Buck Showalter fired: Five candidates for Mets manager, including Craig Counsell reuniting with David Stearns

The Mets introduced Sunday that supervisor Buck Showalter has been fired and won’t go back for the 2024 season. The news comes only a day earlier than Milwaukee Brewers govt David Stearns will likely be formally put in because the Mets’ new president of baseball operations. 

“We felt that making a managerial change was the right course of action,” basic supervisor Billy Eppler mentioned in a commentary.

Showalter, 67, was once underneath contract in the course of the 2024 season. Nevertheless, his announcement comes after he led the Mets to a 175-148 file over two years on the helm. That features a 101-win effort remaining yr. Alas, the Mets had been eradicated within the Wild Card Series after which suffered via a disappointing 2023 that noticed them fall out of rivalry earlier than the Aug. 1 business time limit.

The Mets will now be available on the market for their fourth skipper because the get started of the 2019 season. Just who may that exact be? Below, CBS Sports has highlighted 5 doable candidates for the task. Bear in thoughts, that is little greater than hypothesis at this level within the procedure.

1. Craig Counsell, Brewers supervisor

A Mets pursuit of Counsell has been speculated throughout the business since Stearns agreed to a five-year deal to run New York’s baseball operations division. The pair labored intently in combination in Milwaukee, in fact, profitable greater than 53% in their common season video games and attaining the playoffs on 5 other events, including this yr. Counsell, an approaching loose agent who has confirmed over and over that he can get probably the most from his rosters, is anticipated to be probably the most coveted supervisor available on the market. 

2. Gabe Kapler, former Giants supervisor

Kapler was once handiest just lately disregarded from his post as Giants supervisor following a second-half cave in. Those in different entrance workplaces across the recreation had been fast to notice that he accomplished extra (54.3% profitable share) with mediocre rosters in San Francisco than will have been rather anticipated. In that sense, Kapler can also be in comparison to Counsell. In different senses, most likely now not such a lot. The finish of Kapler’s tenure noticed him scrutinized for permitting the Giants to change into too at ease, to the level that it negatively impacted their center of attention.

Flaherty is thought of as a emerging superstar amongst coaches. He’s been at the Mets radar since January 2022, after they tried to interview him for their open bench-coach place. The Padres denied that request, bringing up the proximity to the beginning of the season. The wild-card issue this is that Flaherty could be an evident candidate to be successful Bob Melvin if the Padres make their very own trade within the dugout. Of route, Melvin would then change into a goal for the Mets.

4. Joe Espada, Astros bench trainer

Espada has been thought to be a long run supervisor for a while now. To wit, the Mets even thought to be him a finalist for the task the remaining time they’d managerial emptiness. (They ended up hiring Showalter as an alternative.) Espada has served as Dusty Baker’s right-hand guy in recent times, and Baker’s doable retirement may just complicate issues if the Astros make a decision Espada is a worthy successor. 

5. Clayton McCullough, Dodgers first base trainer

McCullough, the Dodgers’ first-base trainer for the remaining 3 seasons, has additionally interviewed with the Mets up to now. Additionally, he is taken phase within the procedure with the Giants and Royals in recent times, suggesting that it is only an issue of time earlier than he will get to run a group of his personal. If the Mets nonetheless need to change into the east-coast Dodgers, they may be able to do worse than injecting some Dodgers DNA into their dugout.