5 managers Yankees missed out on by re-signing Aaron Boone

2. Buck Showalter

Say what you want about the Mets choking, but they were exponentially better under Buck Showalter’s tutelage in his first year as skipper in 2022. If not for the Braves plowing ahead at a 115-win pace for the last three months of the season and the Mets’ top pitchers blowing it in the spotlight, the narrative could’ve been very different for this 101-win team.

Speaking of that, 101 wins! Two better than the Yankees. With a less talented roster. In just as hard of a division. After not having managed since 2018.

The worst part is, he knew this Yankees roster, having been a YES analyst for a few years. He worked for the team! They had a previous relationship when he was manager back in the ’90s and then rekindled that with his television job.

The Yankees let the Mets swoop into their own backyard and take him away, which made it all the more embarrassing. Yankees fans wanted this. Nobody would’ve faulted the team for going in the opposite direction in regard to managerial philosophies, even with Buck’s underwhelming postseason track record.

Instead, we’ll watch him in Queens for three more years. And the moment the Mets get farther than the Yankees in a season, fans will be validated in this stance.