MMO Roundtable: Is It Time To Fire Buck Showalter?

We’ve already chatted about who is the blame for the Mets poor start. Most of us here at MMO said the pitching, but some of us said it’s on Buck Showalter. Let’s explore that some more. Is it time for Buck to go? And if yes, who should take over?

John Sheridan

Buck Showalter has admitted to ignoring the analytics. He’s mismanaged the bullpen and marginalized the younger players. Even the media has seemingly turned on him. At this point, the question isn’t if he should be fired, but rather, why he hasn’t already?

As for interim, Carlos Beltrán would revitalize the fans and media. We saw his ability to mentor a young David Wright and Jose Reyes. He’s been a teammate of Justin Verlander, so there’s some level of mutual respect with the older players. You could also give it to Eric Chavez who was seemingly hired as a manager of the future. Go make a case for anyone else. Whoever it is, just make it a manager able to manage the modern game. We don’t need another manager who is stuck in the past and outright refuses to adapt and learn from his mistakes.

Patrick Glynn

I mean, what else is left to do? I don’t think firing a pitching coach or hitting coach will do much. Firing the general manager doesn’t affect how the game is managed. No matter how the season ends, I don’t think Buck returns as manager. So why not see if someone internally (Chavez, Beltran as John suggested) can do anything?

Rich Sparago

While I thought hiring Buck was a good move at the time, it’s time for him to go. My reasons may be a bit different than most. I don’t think it’s a matter of analytics. Steve Cohen tripled the size of the Mets’ analytics department, and to think Buck has the latitude to ignore analytics is a bit far-fetched in my mind. Buck does not make the lineup. He may have input, but in the current age, no manager makes the lineup like Casey Stengel used to. Managers, including Buck, may make some “gut” in-game decisions, but most of what happens on the field is heavily guided by analytics. Cohen did not become a billionaire by hiring departments of people and allowing their work to be ignored. The Mets, and Buck, use analytics. If we don’t like what they’re doing, blame the way the analytics are conducted, not the person implementing them.

Today’s managers have the primary task of leadership, keeping players motivated, keeping clubhouse harmony, shielding the players from outside distractions, etc. Buck’s leadership has waned to an alarming level. The Mets seem disorganized. Take the game on June 25. Buck said Ottavino was not available, the pitcher said he was. Huge disconnect. That cannot happen. The manager has to communicate with his players, and Buck is not doing that. It shows on the field and off the field. The Mets are not just losing, they’re a mess and they need someone to come in and restore order. I would go with Carlos Beltran. It would seem that he can relate to the modern player, and be able to communicate with them and motivate them. The yellow flag is Beltran’s lack of experience. If you have watched the Mets this season, you can see that putting Beltran in the manager’s office is a risk worth taking at this point.

Matt Mancuso

I wonder if Mets fans could take inspiration from The Colieseum’s “Sell The Team” chant & redirect it to reflect their feelings on Buck Showalter’s recent bullpen management?

I didn’t disagree with the original hiring, considering the immature, extending to outright gross, antics surrounding the club’s predecessors. But it’s time for a change. Despite my initial optimism that Showalter would be able to incorporate today’s analytical-driven decision-making into his determinations, the recent weeks have displayed the opposite. His bullpen management has been atrocious lately, leading to the club cascading down the NL standings. Sunday’s debacle is the latest in a string of defeats that have fallen on Buck’s shoulders. As for an interim manager, I’m on board with the others echoing for Beltran

Farewell Buck. We’ll miss the blue jacket

Johnluke Chaparro

Buck should not be fired and honestly, I think he gets next season as well. If they want to make a big move, they’ll do it in the offseason but I doubt they’ll fire Buck after coming off a 101 win season and one not so great season. That being said, I feel as if there’s some confusion between GM and Manager. The things that were considered little last season have blown up and while Buck is a big reason why the team has underperformed, he’s not the only reason.

If they hire David Stearns, and that’s a big IF (until it’s official), then it’ll be his call, in the offseason but for now, Buck stays. There’s no point. Try and let the players figure it out (being that the GM provides the manager with good players to use).

Christian De Block

Firing a manager is a difficult decision to make, especially in the middle of the season. But given the amount of mistakes that have been made by Buck Showalter, it is in the best interest of the 2023 Mets if the team is led by someone else. All of blame does not fall on his shoulders, as poor decisions in the off-season have really come back to bite this group. The bullpen was going to look thin, even if Edwin Díaz was healthy. Billy Eppler is also at fault for an underachieving team that will more than likely miss the playoffs.

Showalter did a remarkable job to help the Mets win 101 games in 2022, but the reality is, losing to the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round undid a lot of the good from last season. Buck seems like a great guy, but he has won one playoff series in his managerial career. If the Mets want any chance of saving this season, bringing Carlos Beltrán to replace Showalter could inject some life into this group.

Mojo Hill

I’m usually hesitant to jump on the “fire the manager” train when things are going poorly for a team, but I think it’s the right choice in this case. Like Matt was saying, I liked the hire at the time, considering Buck’s experience and reputation. But I’m not sure the Mets can take much more of his poor in-game decisions or lack of accountability in postgame press conferences.

During this ugly stretch of games, Buck has completely botched a handful of key bullpen moves, holding on to his best relievers for bizarrely long periods of time. And the fact that the rookie third baseman took more accountability than the veteran manager says all you need to know. I might consider being more lenient if Buck was owning up to his mistakes, but he’s not.

As for replacing him, I’m not going to pretend I have the perfect answer. But I do think they should lean towards someone who’s younger and more analytically driven — just like they’ve been trying to do on the front office side of things. Buck has had a long and successful career, and he obviously carries a lot of respect in the clubhouse, but there’s no reason to keep hanging on to him.

Chris Bello

Should the Mets fire Buck Showalter? Absolutely. Will they? Probably not. Steve Cohen is on the record stating he is not going to make any “rash” decisions, and it seems like firing a manager mid season falls into that category. That being said, the Phillies found success last season firing Girardi, maybe the Mets should mirror their NL East rival in 2023.

If the team does fire Showalter, I agree with Patrick. Chavez and Beltran are the two obvious options, and in my opinion, the only options. Both are proven major leaguers, and would be capable managers past 2023.