The New York Mets’ 2023 campaign started with hopes of World Series titles. It will end with a losing record, the majority of star players traded away, and manager Buck Showalter no longer being in the building.
The franchise confirmed over the weekend that Showalter was relieved of his duties and will leave the franchise after two years.
Showalter took over the Mets in 2022 and led them to a 101-61 record before being eliminated in the NL Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres. The New York team was expected to embark on a deeper postseason run in 2023, bringing in a number of high-profile players, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, in the offseason, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.
The Mets never found their footing, struggling in almost all departments. When it became clear that the team was likely to miss out on the postseason altogether, the front office traded away several veterans like Verlander and Max Scherzer.
The disappointing campaign prompted Mets’ owner Steve Cohen to hire David Stearns as the franchise’s first-ever president of baseball operations earlier this month. According to Cohen, Stearns was the one that ended up making the final call on Showalter.
“This is not a reflection on Buck,” Cohen added. “Buck did everything we wanted him to do. Obviously, the season was a disappointment, but it’s not Buck’s fault, OK? It’s spread across the organization.”
