Ranking Mets manager replacements for Buck Showalter from worst to best

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.

3) NY Mets replacement option for Buck Showalter: Eric Chavez

Had the Mets fired Buck Showalter during the season, Eric Chavez would've made sense as his replacement. Chavez was an incredibly accomplished player winning six Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger for Oakland before settling in nicely as a Mets coach.

Chavez worked last season as the team's hitting coach before being promoted to bench coach in the offseason. He spent both years on Buck Showalter's staff playing a pivotal role, gaining knowledge and also getting closer with the players in the clubhouse.

Keeping things internal can make some sense as players are comfortable with Chavez, and at 45 years old he can adapt to the modern game better than a manager like Buck Showalter did. He'd be more open to changing things that might've worked 20 years ago when Showalter was not.

He hasn't managed just like Beltran, but has more coaching experience and connections with the entire clubhouse. He might be the easiest replacement to come up with and is one that would make a lot of sense.

2) NY Mets replacement option for Buck Showalter: Joe Espada

After two internal candidates, it's time to broaden our horizons and look at other organizations. Joe Espada has been the Astros bench coach since the 2018 season and has overseen a borderline dynasty in that time. The Astros won the year before bringing him in and just won last season with ALCS appearances at minimum every other year.

Espada thrived under A.J. Hinch and has thrived under Dusty Baker and now he deserves his own shot at managing. The 48-year-old was a finalist when the Mets hired Buck Showalter to manage, and has gotten a lot of considerations from other teams. He's accomplished all he can as a bench coach and will presumably be hired to manage sooner than later.

Espada can bring everything he learned from the great baseball minds of Hinch and Baker and help build a winner in Flushing. He can also add the analytic side that Baker and Showalter lacked. What he's accomplished in Houston is what the Mets want to be.

The reason he's not first on this list is the lack of managerial experience. I have no doubt he can do a subperb job, but he's not as proven as my first choice.