For the third time in a two-year stretch, the New York Mets will be conducting a managerial search after the team declined the 2022 contract option of Luis Rojas on Monday.
Rojas lasted two years at the position — both of them losing seasons — after he was hastily named an in-house replacement for Carlos Beltran, who had been fired just a few months after had been hired due to his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal from 2017.
A new manager will likely come after the Mets find a president of baseball operations to perform under owner Steve Cohen and team president Sandy Alderson, but here are few candidates to keep an eye out for as the offseason progresses.
Carlos Beltran
- Current job: N/A
- Managerial experience: None
Beltran might be the least qualified candidate in terms of experience, but he had his hands on the Mets job before Major League Baseball’s findings on the Astros’ cheating scandal. Both A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora are managing again, so it’s only right that Beltran — who is highly respected for his baseball IQ — gets another chance.
Bob Melvin
- Current job: Manager, Oakland Athletics
- Managerial experience: 1346-1272 record in 18 seasons with Mariners, D’Backs, A’s
Melvin has continued to steer a small-market Athletics team toward playoff contention with winning records in each of the last four seasons. Early speculation is that he could be a part of a package deal that would also bring Billy Beane to the Mets’ front office as president of baseball operations.
Ron Washington
- Current job: Third-base coach, Atlanta Braves
- Managerial experience: 664-611, 2 AL pennants in 8 seasons with Texas Rangers
The consensus surrounding Washington might have been a bit different had he been able to get the Rangers over the finish line and win a World Series in two consecutive appearances in 2010 and 2011. He’s overdue for another job leading a team.
Joe McEwing
- Current job: Third-base coach, Chicago White Sox
- Managerial experience: None
McEwing has slowly risen up the list of potential MLB managers after spending some time as the White Sox’s bench coach. He interviewed for the Mets’ job back in 2017 and said it would be a “dream job” to manage in Queens.
Buck Showalter
- Current job: MLB analyst
- Managerial experience: 1551-1517 in 20 seasons with Yankees, D’Backs, Rangers, Orioles
Showalter would be one of the most experienced options available for the Mets along with having a track record of managing in New York. But questions would obviously arise about how the 65-year-old — who has an old-school reputation about him — would mesh with today’s Mets.
John Gibbons
- Current job: N/A
- Managerial experience: 793-789 in 11 seasons with Toronto Blue Jays
A former Mets catcher, Gibbons has been looking to get back into managing since being dismissed from the Blue Jays’ job in 2018. An anti-analytics reputation follows him, which would have to be disproven if he wanted to gain any sort of traction with Steve Cohen and the Mets
Bruce Bochy
- Current job: Special adviser, San Francisco Giants
- Managerial experience: 2003-2029, 4 NL pennants, 3 World Series titles in 25 seasons with Padres, Giants
The longest shot of this list is Bochy, the three-time champion with San Francisco who retired from managing following the 2019 season. But if there was a team to coax him back into the dugout, why not the Mets; a team he played for in 1982 and an attractive job that could provide the promise of immediate contention depending on how the front office navigates the offseason. Bochy even told the San Francisco Chronicle in September that “[I] don’t think you can rule anything out,” in terms of managing in 2022.
