Ever since the New York Mets fired manager Buck Showalter after just two seasons, several names have been bandied about as a replacement for the struggling franchise.
Most recently, indications are that current Milwaukee Brewers Craig Counsell is the leader in the clubhouse for the job. He’s actually interviewing with the Mets’ brass on Thursday with new President of Baseball Operations David Stearns leading the charge. New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza interviewed Wednesday and is also seen as a top candidate.
However, Andy Martino of SNY threw out another interesting name. Current Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay has also been in the mix for the Mets opening, according to Martino.
Kotsay is an interesting name in that he’s posted a disastrous 110-214 record in two seasons as the A’s skipper. With that said, the former MLB player is widely respected around the baseball world and has been dealt a crap hand in Northern California due to Oakland’s ownership’s unwillingness to commit to competing from a financial perspective and the entire political dynamics within the organization.
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Mark Kotsay as a legitimate option for the New York Mets
After his 17-year MLB playing career, Kotsay’s first gig as a coach was as the San Diego Padres’ hitting coach back in 2015. He then took over as a bench coach for the A’s in 2016 before ultimately being promoted to manager when Bob Melvin left for the aforementioned Padres ahead of the 2022 season.
Kotsay has the experience and is seen as a keen baseball mind. Whether something would be able to be worked out between the Mets and A’s remains to be seen.
The likeliest scenario here is that Counsell goes from Milwaukee to New York. He was not able to speak with teams until his contract came to a conclusion with the Brewers on Nov. 1. The fact that he’s interviewing with the New York Mets’ brass, owner Steve Cohen included, a day after, should tell us a story here.
This is going to be an important process for the Mets. After winning 101 games back in 2022, New York finished with a miserable 75-87 record this past season. It traded away high-priced pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, among others, ahead of the Aug. 31 MLB trade deadline.
In addition to firing Showalter after two seasons, general manager Billy Eppler resigned. Stearns and Cohen are now seemingly calling the shots.
Mark Kotsay’s inclusion in the search for a new candidate tells us that the Mets’ are expanding what they’re looking for. That can’t be seen as a bad thing.