It sounds like the New York Mets are in no hurry to hire a manager after they parted ways with Buck Showalter before their 2023 season finale.
"There is no sign yet that the team has interviewed external candidates," MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY reported on Monday afternoon.
Among potential candidates is Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who accumulated a regular-season record of 707-625 from 2015 through 2023. Counsell guided the Brewers to the playoffs each season from 2018 through 2021 and did so again this year. Milwaukee lost the 2018 National League Championship Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games under his watch as well.
Counsell has repeatedly been linked with the Mets since it was learned before the 2023 regular season concluded that former Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns would officially accept that role with the Mets this month. Stearns is currently running New York's front office after general manager Billy Eppler resigned amid a reported investigation into Eppler's alleged improper use of the injured list.
"Counsell...cannot interview with other clubs until his contract expires on Oct. 31," Martino explained. "I had wondered if the Brewers — who hope to retain Counsell — would allow it as a courtesy and a way to get the process rolling, but they have not."
Martino added that "the Mets' search hasn't really ignited yet," which suggests they may simply be waiting until they're allowed to speak with Counsell before they get serious about finding Showalter's replacement.
It was reported last week that the Mets seem unlikely to trade All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso this offseason, in part because team owner Steve Cohen is "aiming to compete in 2024" despite the club's summer fire sale. Cohen made the Mets responsible for baseball's largest payroll this year, and his big-spending ways theoretically should make New York's managerial opening a desirable gig for Counsell if the 53-year-old is willing to make a move to the Big Apple this fall.
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MLB's trade deadline is rapidly nearing, with deals needing to be completed no later than 6 PM EST on Thursday, July 31. With the deadline in mind, Yardbarker's MLB writers looked at identifying one trade each NL club must make in the coming days.
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
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