(Reuters) – The New York Mets have hired Buck Showalter to be the team’s new manager, Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a tweet on Saturday.
The 65-year-old Showalter managed the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and, most recently, the Baltimore Orioles and was the leading contender for the job.
His contract is for three years, MLB Network reported.
Cohen, a hedge fund manager and lifelong Mets fan, has been critical of the team’s on-field performance since becoming the majority owner in September, 2020.
The Mets missed the playoffs after finishing 77-85 last season under manager Luis Rojas, who subsequently joined the Yankees coaching staff.
The Mets added right-handed ace Max Scherzer to the team prior to the MLB’s lockout of its players in a sign that Cohen is willing to spend big in order to make a run at the World Series.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Ed Osmond)
