Buck Showalter won’t return as Mets’ manager in 2024

At the end of his press conference ahead of the Mets’ series and season finale against the Phillies this afternoon at Citi Field, Buck Showalter said that he will not be returning as the Mets’ manager for the 2024 season. Showalter indicated that he’s stepping aside after having a conversation with general manager Billy Eppler, and the Mets issued an official statement on the decision:

FLUSHING, N.Y., October 1, 2023 — The New York Mets announced the departure of Manager Buck Showalter.

“We are heading in a new direction, with a new President of Baseball Operations and we let Buck know we’ll be parting ways. We will begin the search for a new manager immediately,” Mets Owner, Chairman and CEO Steve 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 postseason berth last year. The commitment and heart that Buck brings to the game will be felt by our organization for years to come. We wish Buck all the best in the next chapter of his career.”

“As we look toward the next chapter for the New York Mets, we felt that making a managerial change was the right course of action,” Mets Executive Vice President, General Manager Billy Eppler said. “We are grateful for Buck’s dedication, professionalism, and leadership, and for his work in guiding the 2022 Mets to a 101-win season, the second-highest total in franchise history. We wish Buck the very best in what comes next for him and his family.”

Steve Cohen will be available to credentialed media at Citi Field on Monday at 12 p.m. to address this news and officially announce the Mets President of Baseball Operations.

Showalter was hired as manager following the 2021 season and signed a three-year deal. When the Mets won 101 games in 2022, he earned National League Manager of the Year honors, making him the manager to accomplish the feat while managing the Mets. Despite the fact that the Mets will finish this year with a losing record, those 101 wins last year mean that Showalter will finish his tenure with the team with a winning record, a relatively rare feat.

The Mets are set to introduce David Stearns as their first president of baseball operations tomorrow, and the team already let several significant front office staff members go ahead of his hiring. Clearly a managerial search—or the hiring of a predetermined manager—will be one of the team’s first orders of business under Stearns.