Mets Scapegoats: 1 who deserved his fate, 1 who didn't, 1 person we should blame more

Buck Showalter didn't deserve to lose his job

Buck Showalter was in a tough spot last year. In part, some of the team’s failings land squarely on him. Who better to blame than the manager?

He wasn’t quite the same gung-ho skipper from the year prior. Showalter lost a bit of his magic touch after giving it his all in 2022. It was obvious in every way. His interviews. The look on his face. Showalter already had an element of being less inspired by the situation.

We can make assumptions about this and the potential unhappiness he felt with Eppler. The now known debate over playing time of Daniel Vogelbach is sure to grind down even the most grizzled of baseball managers. Showalter knows how to put a lineup together. Eppler didn’t let him do the job he was hired for—or at least the one Showalter thought he was getting when he came out of retirement.

Several factors led to what was essentially a forced resignation for Showalter. The hiring of David Stearns guaranteed a managerial change. Stearns who does things his own way wouldn’t have been an ideal match for Showalter who likes to do things his own way, too. A bad record and no real thought of extending Showalter’s contract added to the reason why he lost his job. Why let him cling around for another year without intention of taking him along for the ride further?

Showalter didn’t deserve to lose his job, but he also needed to. The Mets are in a transitional phase right now. It’s a courtesy to not put Showalter through it.