Fired just four days ago, former New York Mets manager Buck Showalter is wasting no time getting back into the swing of things.
Showalter was let go on Sunday with a year remaining on his three-year contract. Just one season removed from his NL Manager of the Year award, life came at him fast. At the time of his firing, Showalter had led the 74-87 Mets to a dismal fourth-place in the NL East, 30 and a half games behind the Braves.
According to the NY Post's Mike Puma, Showalter already has his sights set on a new team, one on the other side of the country. Puma's sources said Showalter is "interested in the Angels' managerial opening and trying hard to get an interview."
Despite the unappealing nature of the Los Angeles Angels' manager position, Showalter appears to have a desire to manage another team, first and foremost. Whether that team is playoff-caliber in 2024 could be a lower priority.
Ex-Mets manager Buck Showalter is interested in Angels' job
The Angels parted ways with manager Phil Nevin earlier this week following another disappointing season. Los Angeles could look internally for an in-house candidate to fill Nevin's role, which arguably would make more sense for the Halos.
Angels general manager Perry Minasian only has one year left on his contract, and the organization may be looking for a full reset, seeking new and fresh faces to kick off a more successful era. Minasian signed a four-year contract in November of 2020, but his return next season isn't necessarily set in stone, as ESPN's Jeff Passan recently pointed out.
What kind of whims will Arte Moreno follow? Would Moreno consider Showalter a serious candidate?
The Angels interviewed Showalter back in 2019 but ultimately hired Joe Maddon instead.
With the team set to lose Shohei Ohtani and possibly Mike Trout this winter, some coaches may not want a managerial position as undesirable as the Angels'. Then again, beggars can't be choosers. Showalter may not have many options if he's dead set on managing in 2024.
