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Report: Showalter, Ausmus among candidates for Mets manager job

Paul Bereswill / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The New York Mets are making strides toward hiring their next manager and showing preliminary interest in a handful of candidates, according to Andy Martino of SNY.

Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada, Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, and veteran unemployed skippers Buck Showalter and Brad Ausmus are all being considered for the position, adds Martino.

Former outfielder and three-time All-Star Curtis Granderson is also a candidate for the job, sources told MLB insider Robert Murray. Granderson doesn't have any coaching experience, but the 40-year-old spent four seasons with the Mets during his 16-year playing career. He currently serves as the president of the Players Alliance.

A three-time Manager of the Year, Showalter would bring the most experience to the Mets. The 65-year-old has managed the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, and, most recently, the Baltimore Orioles over a 20-year career.

Ausmus would be well known by new Mets general manager Billy Eppler after the pair worked together for the Los Angeles Angels. The 52-year-old managed the Angels for one season, finishing with a 72-90 record. Ausmus managed the Detroit Tigers for four years prior to joining L.A.

Espada also has a track record with Eppler while working for the Yankees.

It's still early in the search, and there isn't a clear front-runner for the position, per Martino.

The Mets fired Luis Rojas following the 2021 campaign after he held the role for two years and led the team to a 103-119 record. The franchise's previous regime under Brodie Van Wagenen hired Rojas before it fired Mickey Callaway, hired Carlos Beltran, and then promptly fired Beltran all in the same offseason.

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