A manager with a World Series victory on his resume and a career-winning record reportedly is hoping to get serious consideration for the New York Mets manager opening.
After winning 101 games in 2022, the New York Mets are again in a bit of an organizational shift after having a massively disappointing showing in 2023. The team with the highest payroll in MLB history finished with a sad 78-84 record and was out of playoff contention in August after choosing to be sellers at the trade deadline.
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In October, the organization finally announced their next president of baseball operations, David Stearns, but are now in need of a new manager after Buck Showalter was fired, and general manager Billy Eppler shockingly resigned amid an investigation by MLB.
In September, speculation had begun about Showalter’s future and potential replacements. The name commonly tossed into the conversation is current Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell. The former MLB player has done a nice job with the Brewers, his contract is up at the end of October, and there are obvious ties to Stearns when he served as head of baseball operations in Milwaukee.
Joe Maddon interested in New York Mets manager opening
However, it seems there is another manager with a more impressive resume who hopes the Mets might consider him for their opening. On Sunday, USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported that former Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon “is telling friends he’d love to manage the Mets, and is hoping to at least interview for the opening.”
- Joe Maddon record (Career): 1,382-1,216
Maddon was fired by the Angels last season after the team got off to a slow start in 2022. They were the only franchise he had an under .500 record with during his time as manager. In his nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, he took the team to the World Series once and won nearly 50 more games than he lost for the small market club.
However, his greatest success came in Chicago where he helped lead the Cubs to a World Seris title in 2016 — ending a 71-year streak the franchise had since winning their last MLB championship.