By Miguel Rapetti
05 Nov 2023, 22:23 PM EST
After a 2023 to be forgotten in the Major Leagues, the New York Mets are already in the process of restructuring for the upcoming 2024 season and could now be close to finalizing the arrival of their new manager after the departure of Buck Showalter.
According to reports from journalist Andy Martino, who specializes in the New York Mets (SNY) source, the Metropolitan board is expected to confirm the arrival of its new manager, with the main candidate being Craig Counsell, current manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Although Counsell is the main candidate to take the helm of the Mets, there are other options such as New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, who would be the second option they have on the table.
“The Mets are very close to knowing who their next manager will be (the only delay would be if Counsell and Mendoza accept jobs elsewhere),” Martino wrote on his social networks.
Although the decision belongs to the Mets, it will be Counsell’s task to decide if he remains with the Brewers, if he moves to the Big Apple or, on the contrary, agrees to manage the Cleveland Guardians, who were left without a manager after the departure of Terry Francona.
Interestingly, New York’s second option, Mendoza, could also join the Guardians in case Counsell takes the job with San Diego or the Mets.
Likewise, Mendoza has also been interviewed by the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres, so time is of the essence for the management of the team that finished the season with 75 wins and 87 losses.
The Mets have been undergoing a profound restructuring since the middle of last season when they decided to leave their two main figures, Justin Verlander (Houston Astros) and Max Scherzer (Texas Rangers) and which subsequently continued with the incorporation of David Stearns as president of operations specials, the departure of Showalter himself and the resignation of Billy Eppler as the team’s general management.