Buck Showalter not returning as Mets manager after two years in charge

The Buck stopped here.

Buck Showalter’s tenure as Mets manager ended Sunday, when Showalter announced he would not return to the job next season.

That announcement came before the Mets played their season-finale against the Phillies.

The 67-year-old Showalter indicated it was a forced resignation, as the organization prepares to welcome David Stearns as the new president of baseball operations during a Monday press conference.

Showalter, who had one year remaining on his contract, presided over a team with a record $364 million payroll that was largely disbanded at the trade deadline because of disappointing performance.

“We are heading in a new direction, with a new President of Baseball Operations and we let Buck know that we’ll be parting ways,” team owner Steve Cohen said in a press release. “We will begin the search for a new manager immediately.”

Showalter led the Mets to 101 victories last season and received a fourth Manager of the Year award.

But the Mets fizzled in the wild-card round of the playoffs, leaving Showalter without a World Series appearance in a managerial career that has also included stops with the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Orioles.

“I was honored to get a chance to manage a second New York team and I am proud of what we did,” Showalter said.

As Showalter brought his final lineup card to home plate as Mets manager, the entire team stood outside the dugout to salute him.

Showalter also received an ovation from much of the sparse crowd that had arrived at that point.

Candidates to replace Showalter could include Craig Counsell, Bob Melvin, Joe Espada and Walt Weiss.

Stearns inherited Counsell as manager upon arriving as the general manager in 2015, and that partnership helped Milwaukee become a perennial playoff team.