Brad Ausmus kicked off the Mets’ first round of managerial interviews Monday, according to Jon Heyman.
The former catcher with an 18-year MLB career is on a list of about five known candidates for the top dugout job, joining longtime manager Buck Showalter, Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro (whom the Mets requested to interview today and will reportedly interview as soon as Tuesday), Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Pirates bench coach Don Kelly.
Heyman reported the Ausmus interview happened virtually, and that Mets general manager Billy Eppler would be running the first round of interviews. After the candidates are whittled down, owner Steve Cohen will get involved for the final decision.
Ausmus managed the Tigers for four seasons from 2014 to 2017 and managed the Angels for the 2019 season. Eppler hired Ausmus to manage the Angels after bringing him on as a special assistant in 2018, but he was replaced by Joe Maddon after the single season, allegedly under the direction of Angels owner Arte Moreno.
Ausmus has a 386-412 record over those five seasons, appearing in one postseason series where the Tigers were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Division Series.
