MLB

Five experienced candidates Mets can look at for manager job

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Published Oct. 4, 2021
Updated Oct. 4, 2021, 8:53 p.m. ET

Potential managerial candidates?

Though the Mets’ search for a new manager, after declining to retain Luis Rojas, might not proceed until a president of baseball of operations is hired, owner Steve Cohen has expressed a desire for experience in key positions. Along those lines, there are some intriguing names available:

Bruce Bochy

A three-time World Series winning manager, the 66-year-old Bochy stepped away from the Giants following the 2019 season. As Padres manager, Bochy sought a contract extension from then-team president Sandy Alderson. Told he wouldn’t get the extension, Bochy was given permission to seek other jobs and landed with the Giants, where he guided the team to World Series titles in 2010, ’12 and ’14.

Buck Showalter

6/5/18 - Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Mets at Citi Field - Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter #26 walking off the field after making a pitching change in the 8th inning.
Buck Showalter Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

He’s led three different franchises to the postseason and certainly understands the rigors of managing in New York from his time with the Yankees in the 1990s. The 65-year-old Showalter last managed in 2018 with the Orioles — a franchise he led to an AL East title four years earlier.

Bob Melvin

Manager Bob Melvin #6 of the Oakland Athletics takes the ball from Sean Manaea
Bob Melvin Getty Images

The Oakland manager, who is still under contract, would make particular sense for the Mets if Billy Beane is pried from the Athletics as president of baseball operations. The 59-year-old Melvin is among the game’s most respected managers, having guided Oakland to three AL West titles and six postseason appearances. He served as a scout for the Mets during the 2010 season and was a finalist for the managerial vacancy that was filled by Terry Collins.

John Farrell

He guided the Red Sox to the 2013 World Series title after a stint managing the Blue Jays. The 59-year-old Farrell has ties to Theo Epstein from their time together in Boston, when Farrell was the pitching coach under Terry Francona. Farrell last managed in 2017 with the Red Sox before taking a scouting job with the Reds.

John Gibbons

The former Mets catcher guided the Blue Jays to consecutive appearances in the ALCS, in 2015 and ’16. He last managed in 2018 and has sought a return to the dugout. The 59-year-old Gibbons began his managerial career in the Mets’ minor league system in the 1990s.