Buck Showalter will be managing his final game with the Mets on Sunday.
The veteran manager told reporters before Sunday's series finale that he will not be returning in 2024, which would have been his final year under contract, as new president of baseball operations David Stearns will be "going in a different direction with the manager next year."
Showalter managed New York to a 101-win season in 2022, his first year back in a dugout as a major league manager since his days with the Orioles. But the team faltered down the stretch, coughed up the NL East to the Braves, and fell to the Padres in the Wild Card Series. Armed with the highest payroll in baseball history heading into this season, the Mets shockingly fell out of the race and became trade deadline sellers under Showalter.
Showalter revealed that he had a conversation with Billy Eppler on Saturday night, and it was determined that he will not be returning, and had been given the option of "stepping aside."
"I was honored to get a chance to manage a second New York team and I'm proud of what the Mets did," Showalter said. "I wish things could've gone better this season because Mets fans deserve that."
Steve Cohen said in a statement that Showalter was informed that "we will be parting ways."
"We will begin the search for a new manager immediately," Cohen said. "Buck is a generational manager, and we value what he has done for our team, including leading us to a 101-win season and a postseason berth last year. The commitment and heart that Buck brings to the game will be felt by our organization for years to come."
