Mets Scapegoats: 1 to fire, 1 to put on the hot seat, 1 to be patient with

NY Mets manager Buck Showalter should be on the hot seat

The Mets have better talent than a team that has a .500 record. Even with all of the weaknesses on this team, and there are plenty, they should not be where they are. As unfair as it might be, Buck Showalter deserves some blame there.

Showalter managed the 101-win Mets last season and seemed to push every right button. Even if I didn't always agree with the process, the Mets were winning games. This season, Showalter has done the same things and the team has suffered partially because of those mistakes.

Whether it's using low-leverage relievers in close games which the Mets are tied or trailing, or insisting on hitting Francisco Alvarez ninth while he's been one of the best hitters in baseball, Showalter has not been anything close to perfect.

The Mets consistently play down to their competition (something that happened in September of 2022 as well), and have made more mental mistakes this season than in years past. Those things don't fall only on Buck, but the Mets just don't feel as prepared as they did last season.

He gets some rope from me because of the job he did last season, but these kinds of underwhelming seasons are exactly the kinds of things managers get blamed for. The Mets had World Series aspirations and while they could still get there, they haven't played well enough all season.