In just a few months, new Mets manager Buck Showalter will be at the helm of making sure superstars such as Jacob deGrom and Pete Alonso are put in the best opportunity to succeed in 2022.

But for now, those names can only be echoed within Showalter’s mind – bringing those names to voice is prohibited while the MLB and MLBPA remain far apart in labor negotiations. Showalter can’t even talk to his new players.

Showalter only messed up once referencing a current player’s name during his press conference.

“You look at Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar, obviously I can’t mention names so I’m going to shut up,” Showalter joked. “I just like the way they’ve gone about their game. The people that they’ve added are people I would’ve been interested in.”

Maybe the one positive about Showalter now being able to communicate with his new group of players is every team is in the same situation. There is no communication between any players and front office personnel outside of meetings to adjust a new CBA.

Still, that didn’t stop Max Scherzer from giving his endorsement to Showalter.

The Mets have so many new pieces heading into 2022 that Showalter’s penchant for effectively communicating with players will loom large when Spring Training eventually starts.

“Thank god everybody is not robotic – the last thing I want to do is suppress a personality,” Showalter commented when asked about managing a team with the caliber of players that the Mets do. “I’m looking forward to getting to know these guys and finding out what they need from me and the coaching staff.”

Soon to turn 66 years of age, Showalter has been criticized by some for his reluctance to adapt to modern analytics. Yet where most fans and experts seem to be in agreement is that Showalter is one of the best “people-persons” in the game today. Simply put, he deeply cares for his players as people on and off the ballfield, and his relatability should be one of his best assets as a manager in the hectic environment of New York City.

“The psyche and mental, emotional part of the game really play on you in a long season,” said the newest Mets skipper. “I want them to walk through the door each day and know exactly what they’re getting from me and the coaching staff.”

“It’s a great responsibility – some people run from it,” Showalter added about the pressures of holding up to the high standards of the Mets organization. But he acknowledged that the culture the team’s front office has built has made that a non-issue for this ballclub.