Pete Alonso reacts to Buck Showalter's dismissal as Mets' manager: “It’s real upsetting"

Much to the dismay of Pete Alonso and the gang, Mets manager Buck Showalter announced he would not be returning as the ballclub's manager in 2024.

David Stearns will succeed Billy Eppler as general manager of baseball operations when New York officially introduces him on Monday. With one season left on his three-year deal, Showalter's departure makes it possible for Stearns to choose the next manager.

"'It's upsetting for me because I know how awesome of a manager he is.' Pete Alonso on Buck Showalter leaving the Mets" - LetsTalkNYMets

Showalter will no longer reside in the dugout office, where he spent more time than all but 18 guys in history. Billy Eppler, the general manager of the Mets, asked Buck to choose between quitting or getting fired following Saturday's season-penultimate game, according to an MLB columnist working as a sports editor for the amNewYork newspaper.

Showalter, whose contract had one year remaining, went with the latter option and thus got fired.

"To clarify: Billy Eppler spoke with Buck Showalter and told him David Stearns and new Mets leadership are going in a different direction. Either he steps aside or he’d be fired. No team leadership, we’re being told, will be speaking about it today" - JoePantorno

"Thank you, Buck" - Mets

Despite the inclusion of future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, this season's squad performed noticeably worse than the stratospheric success of the 2022 team, despite Showalter's 101 wins with the Mets on his way to his fourth Manager of the Year award described above.

The management staff dealt away Verlander, fellow Hall of Fame-bound pitcher Max Scherzer and closer David Robertson before the trade deadline on August 1, with the Mets mathematically out of postseason contention six weeks later as a result of the team's problems.

What's next for Buck Showalter? How will Pete Alonso and Co. deal with the failures of this season?

We don't yet know Showalter's outlook for the future. Showalter, one of the older managers in the league at 67, said he would like to stay in the dugout if another team would have him.

He worked as a broadcaster before signing with the Mets; this job may one day beckon to him once more. Showalter and his wife Angela have lived in Dallas for years; they may perhaps just retire there.

"Buck Showalter joked that the team was forced to stand in front of the dugout before the game, but said the moment was ‘special,’ adding the fans were outstanding as always…" - JenXperience

David Stearn would be asked questions about Pete Alonso's future with the ballclub and the thought process of finding a replacement for Buck. He has always been an asset, and the Mets wouldn't want to give up on Alonso just yet.

But considering the pitfalls that the franchise had to go through this season, especially after the management announced Buck's departure, it's very uncertain as to what is in store for the Steve Cohen-led behemoths from Queens.