As the Mets’ race for a new manager nears its final turn, Buck Showalter is still in the lead.
But two other horses are nipping at Showalter’s heels, at least in the interview room. Joe Espada and Matt Quatraro are the other finalists for the job, from a candidate pool that was whittled down from six people to three, according to multiple reports. Showalter, Quatraro and Espada are each slated for in-person meetings with Steve Cohen and other members of the Mets’ brass this week, sources familiar with the proceedings told the Daily News.
This puts the Mets, at long last, at an easy-to-parse crossroads. For the last few years of the franchise’s tumultuous history, each new and dispiriting development left them without a clear direction. Even worse, there were several moments when nobody — including some of the people on the inside — could seem to figure out what was going to happen or get their story straight.
At least now, with three names written clearly on the interview schedule, and in the minds of the public, it’s easier to understand the thinking. The Mets can hire Showalter and opt for the relative security of a grizzled baseball man who’s more weathered than an old catcher’s glove. Showalter first managed a Major League Baseball game in 1992.
That’s the same year that Rays’ bench coach Matt Quatraro graduated from Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar, NY. If the Mets don’t want to pick Showalter and signal their preference for an older, accomplished leader, Quatraro would be a step in the completely opposite direction. The 48-year-old has never played or managed in the big leagues. His only experience at the head of the dugout is in the low levels of the minor leagues. He managed for two seasons at Tampa Bay’s Class A-Short Season affiliate from 2006-07 and then moved up for two more at Class A from 2008-09.
Nobody will confuse the Hudson Valley Renegades or Columbus Catfish for the majors. But his years with the Rays, which also include four years as minor league hitting coordinator and the last three as bench coach, have given Quatraro a firsthand look at how the sausage is made inside one of the league’s most productive winning factories.
In addition to whatever knowledge he soaked up from the Rays’ tank, Quatraro also had a working relationship with Francisco Lindor during the shortstop’s larval stage in Cleveland. Quatraro was Cleveland’s assistant hitting coach from 2014-17, before he rejoined the Rays’ organization. His overlap with Lindor featured two playoff runs and a second-place finish for Lindor in Rookie of the Year voting in 2015.
The 46-year-old Espada, who has been Houston’s bench coach since 2018 and comes with even less minor league managerial experience than Quatraro, also has the benefit of past relationships on his side. In 2017, he was on the coaching staff for Puerto Rico’s team at the World Baseball Classic. Three current Mets — Lindor, Edwin Diaz and Seth Lugo — were also part of that tournament squad. Perhaps even more importantly for the purpose of his upcoming interview, Espada also knows GM Billy Eppler well from their concurrent time with the Yankees. Espada is a former special assistant to Brian Cashman, who once pegged Eppler to head the Yankees’ professional scouting department. Eppler later served as Cashman’s assistant, and when he left for Anaheim, Espada became the Yankees’ third base coach. Espada, who is from Puerto Rico, is also a native Spanish speaker, which is an important trait for any prospective MLB manager these days.
Either of the Quatraro-Espada duo would be a sizable leap of faith. The young, in-tune managerial hires around the league in recent years have brought World Series titles to: Houston with A.J. Hinch; Boston with Alex Cora; Washington with Dave Martinez and Los Angeles with Dave Roberts. Kevin Cash, Craig Counsell, Aaron Boone and Gabe Kapler are also not far removed from their own playing days and have each made significant strides as young managers — Cash piloted the Rays to a World Series appearance, Counsell and Boone both reached a League Championship Series and Kapler just won 107 games in his second season at San Francisco’s helm.
For every Cash or Kapler, though, there is a tenderfoot hotshot whose tenure did not go according to plan. The Mets have already had two in recent years, with Mickey Callaway and Luis Rojas’ stints going disastrously in their own unique ways. Jayce Tingler couldn’t get the star-studded Padres to the playoffs last year and Kapler had a litany of issues in his first job with the Phillies as well. Putting faith in someone of their relative inexperience level can make a team look idiotic just as easily as it can hoist them into a new age of success.
Both of the younger, greener candidates in the Mets’ sights are also reportedly in consideration for the vacancy in Oakland. Quatraro and Espada each bring a dynamic skill set and track records with some of the winning-est, most cutting-edge teams on the major league circuit.
None of that time has been in the manager’s seat, though. And that’s Showalter’s biggest advantage.
If Showalter hopes to beat out the two competitors that are nearly 20 years younger than him, he may have to convince Cohen’s crew that an old dog can learn new tricks. Otherwise, the Mets will head into the great unknown of the lockout and beyond with someone who’s never done any of this before.
