Look, New York is old across the roster, but the issue is pervasive on the pitching staff. The Mets have tied their success to veterans like Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Carlos Carrasco, David Robertson, and others. Expecting all those guys to pitch how they've always pitched when they're a year older is an exercise in hope -- which usually doesn't play well in Major League Baseball.
Obviously, injuries have been devastating. New York lost the best closer in the game (Edwin Diaz), a key starter (Jose Quintana), and a handful of vital bullpen arms before the campaign even began.
Instead of stepping up when given golden opportunities, promising young pitchers like David Peterson and Tylor Megill have regressed in brutal fashion, forcing them to be sent back to the minors at times. Showalter has tried to mix and match in the bullpen, to very mixed success.
On a larger scale, the manager has placed entirely too much faith in last-legs veterans across the roster. Instead of having a plan for a young player like Mark Vientos when he is called up, Showalter instead gives him five at bats a week while vets like Daniel Vogelbach ("Vogey the Hoagie"), Eduardo Escobar, Sterling Marte, and Mark Canha flail on the daily.
Vientos was eventually sent back down to Triple-A, leaving many wondering what the point was of calling him up to the big club in the first place. Not that Vientos should be a regular, but the lack of any strategy in incorporating him into a flat-out bad lineup is beyond confusing.
Speaking of which, the lineup remains out of kilter, with Showalter trotting the same guys out there in the same spots time after time. New York is largely middle of the pack in most offensive (and pitching) stats, but it's clear they should be running more (they are ninth in steals but last in caught stealing), are surrendering way too many first-inning runs, and making entirely too many base-running and fielding blunders.
The disastrous state of the DH position is a prime example of front-office ineptitude, of which Showalter is a part. After paying way too much for the platoon combo of Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf at last year's trade deadline, the duo imploded. Vogelbach had to be benched for mental issues and Ruf was cut in training camp, leading the Mets to be near the bottom of the league in pretty much every DH measurement.
However, the extent of Showalter's response to this litany of problems has largely been simply to ramp up his level of combativeness with the local media. So with New York likely to be sellers at the trade deadline, what is the upside of retaining of an old-school, 67-year-old manager?
Showalter pushed just about every right button last year, and there are few managers better suited to guide a veteran club through a pennant race. However, the Mets aren't that anymore, and the manager's hunches have almost universally backfired this season.
Shitcanning the manager at this stage of the season likely offers nothing but proof that you're doing something. I doubt New York makes a move for that reason. But with Showalter entering 2024 already on the hot seat with a team that is yet another year older, what's the real advantage in retaining him this offseason?
Clearly, the Mets have a fever dream of problems outside of the manager. But the buck stops ...
Well, you know the rest.
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