Buck Showalter would like to meet the Mets
Buck Showalter looks on after the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 12-5, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 28, 2018 in Baltimore. Credit: Getty Images/Patrick Smith
Billy Eppler and Buck Showalter have checked "hiring a coaching staff" off their offseason to-do list. The seven-man staff was announced on Friday.
So now what? With the lockout in place, the Mets general manager and manager said on Monday that they are heading to Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Wednesday to check out the team’s spring training camp.
Showalter said he is planning for a normal spring training. But that’s probably not going to happen. Still, he’s going to set up camp there for good early next month and hope for the best.
"I think I'm just going to go down and wait till a player shows up – one that I can really talk to," Showalter said. "Some of the guys off the roster . . . I'm going to probably head down about [February] 6th or 7th and just pray that somebody walks through the door quickly thereafter that I can talk to about the club that I don't get in trouble for if I do."
One of the many difficult aspects of the lockout that began on Dec. 2 is that team employees are forbidden to talk to or about players on the 40-man roster. Eppler was hired on Nov. 19, Showalter a month later, so the manager has not spoken to any of the players he is going to lead whenever the 2022 season starts.
Showalter and Eppler are also both house hunting in the New York area, which in the current climate is not easy.
"Billy sent me a text last night," Showalter said, "and said, ‘I just hope the Showalters don't bid on this same house because [it’s] obviously a seller's market.’ "
The good news for Mets fans is that the foundation of the club seems to be strong after owner Steve Cohen’s pre-lockout spending spree. The Mets added free agents Max Scherzer, Eduardo Escobar, Starling Marte and Mark Canha and can make more moves whenever the lockout ends.
"I would say this club is well positioned now as is," Eppler said. "It can always be better. So where we can find opportunities to be better, we will explore those and seize those opportunities as they come . . . I know we’re good . . . We feel good about where we are, but also acknowledge there's always room to improve."
Added Showalter: "I just want to break camp and go, ‘We're going to be as good as we're capable of being,’ and I'm curious to find out what that is. That’s my job, to rehearse for the Broadway play that we're going to have in April or late March, and we're rehearsing our lines and getting ready for the play down in St. Lucie. Come see us."
First, there has to be an agreement between the owners and players. Spring training is scheduled to open on Feb. 16 and the regular season openers are slated for March 31.
In the meantime, Eppler will continue to familiarize himself with the Mets’ inner workings and Showalter will chat with his coaches.
"I’ve learned a lot about Zoom calls," Showalter said, adding that he now knows how to change the background.
Five of the new coaches are from outside of the organization: Glenn Sherlock (bench), Eric Chavez (hitting), Wayne Kirby (first base), Joey Cora (third base) and Craig Bjornson (bullpen).
Assistant hitting coach Jeremy Barnes was the Mets’ director of player initiatives in 2021.
Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner is the only holdover from former manager Luis Rojas’ staff. The Mets did not hire an assistant pitching coach after having one last season, which Eppler said was in part because the team has so many new faces already that it decided not to add another one.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
