The New York Mets have made the decision to part ways with Buck Showalter two years into the three-year deal he signed prior to the 2022 season. Showalter had tremendous success last season, leading the Mets to a 101-win season and a playoff berth but the team failed to replicate their success this season and will be searching for a new manager in 2024.
With David Stearns running the show, it makes the most sense to let him pick his new manager from the start instead of having Showalter be a 'lame duck' manager the team gets rid of if next year doesn't go as planned.
The Mets are a team that should be competitive next season and will be a desirable destination for any manager looking to manage in 2024. There are several candidates New York should consider, and other that they should not.
4) NY Mets replacement option for Buck Showalter: Carlos Beltran
We've seen this before. The Mets hired Carlos Beltran before the 2019 season but didn't get to manage a single game due to his involvement in the Astros cheating scandal. Beltran was canned and Luis Rojas took his spot. We all know how that one went.
With the Mets manager spot vacant once again, Beltran's name is sure to come up in rumors. Whether they will have any validity or not remains to be seen, but he'll certainly be a name brought up as the Mets search for a manager who can hopefully last a little while.
Beltran was hired this past offseason as an assistant to GM Billy Eppler in a move that got the seal of approval from Edwin Diaz and Francisco Lindor. Knowing a fan favorite like Beltran also has the support of two of the leaders of this team makes him a really interesting managerial candidate.
Beltran has never coached, let alone managed, so hiring him comes with more risk than hiring a more proven manager. There's the chance Beltran is the manager that leads this team back to the World Series, and there's also the chance he's just another Luis Rojas or Mickey Callaway.