Hiring Joe Maddon would bring on a game of musical chairs no Mets fan should want any part of

The New York Mets made the decision to part with Buck Showalter after one great season and one horrific season. Showalter was far from the only reason why the 2023 Mets failed, but he certainly didn't make them any better.

Beginning an offseason looking for a manager is nothing new for this Mets franchise as none of the four managers they've hired since Terry Collins resigned back in 2017 has lasted more than two seasons.

David Stearns will have his hands full, but one potential candidate is making it abundantly clear that he's looking for work in 2024. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Maddon wants to manage again and is reportedly "telling friends he’d love to manage the Mets, and is hoping to at least interview for the opening."

Hiring Joe Maddon would make firing Buck Showalter in the first place unnecessary

The ironic part about Maddon being openly interested in the Mets job is Buck Showalter just made it known that he was interested in the vacant Angels job earlier this week. Both Maddon and Showalter are historically great managers who just can't seem to walk away from the game.

Maddon's tenure with the Angels came to an end 12 games into their 14-game losing streak last season. He finished with a record of 157-172 in 2.5 seasons with the Angels, failing to make the postseason a single time despite having Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the team.

With Maddon's firing came reports about his unhappiness with Angels GM Perry Minasian who reportedly was giving Maddon orders like which reliever to use when and something as simple as when to pull Mike Trout in a blowout game.

His insistence on needing to be left alone while managing should be an immediate red flag to David Stearns who will want someone willing to listen to the analytics his team gives out. Craig Counsell is a guy who is open to doing that while Maddon wants things done his own way. You can have your opinion as to how big of a deal analytics should be, but Stearns will make them a requirement while Maddon is adamantly against it.

Maddon being 69 years old and having different views than the Mets front office means this potential partnership will be short and likely unsuccessful. The Mets should be narrowing their focus on better fits. It's nice to see a World Series champion have interest, but this isn't the right fit for either side, just like a Buck Showalter cameo in Anaheim would likely have a similar result.