While the New York Mets made a shocking change to fire Buck Showalter before the end of the 2023 season, it appears there is still at least one team interested in hiring him.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Los Angeles Angels have been in contact with Showalter:
Sources: Buck Showalter has spoken with the Angels regarding their managerial vacancy and is among several finalists for the position. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 5, 2023
The Angels fired their previous manager Phil Nevin following a 73-89 record last season.
Should Showalter get hired, he will be the fifth manager with the job since 2018, and it appears so far, he remains the favorite, despite plenty of interest. It also sounds like they’re not in any huge rush to name their successor, but free agency has begun.
“The new leadership, they’re going to go in a different direction with the manager next year,” Showalter told the media after his firing. “Just wanted to let y’all know that. I got a lot of things here I can say.”
The Mets hired former David Stearns as the team’s president of baseball operations right before the decision.
He’s one of the most respected managers and a media darling to boot.
It was Showalter’s 22nd managerial season with the Mets and he came off a previous 101-win season in 2022 and a playoff push into the Wild-Card series and a career 175-147 record.
