Buck Showalter and Bob Geren served as a doubleheader of sorts for the Mets on Wednesday, leaving team officials with one first-round interview to complete in their managerial search.
An industry source indicated the Mets’ candidate list remained at six after Showalter and Geren joined Astros bench coach Joe Espada, Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro and former Tigers/Angels manager Brad Ausmus among those who have interviewed. Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, originally a consideration for the job, has withdrawn his name, according to a source, indicating a mystery candidate has entered the mix. The Mets have an interview scheduled for Thursday morning.
Team owner Steve Cohen is expected to become involved in second-round interviews, which could begin as soon as this weekend or early next week. The Mets hope to have a new manager in place by the end of next week.
Initial reviews were strong on Showalter, who met with team officials on a Zoom call.
