The New York Mets were supposed to be playing in this postseason, based on the signings they made last winter. Instead, they missed out on it after finishing 75-87. Shortly after hiring team president David Stearns, manager Buck Showalter informed reporters that he was not being brought back for the 2024 season. With that, the search is on for a new manager for the Mets.

It's no secret that the Mets are linked to Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who worked alongside Stearns during their time together. But who else is on the team's radar? Well, we know who is being ruled out.

According to The Athletic's Will Sammon, the Mets are expected to hire someone outside their organization to be their new manager. That means no internal candidates will be considered. One big name inside the organization is former player Carlos Beltran.

Mets reportedly looking outside of organization for new manager, effectively rules out Carlos Beltran

Beltran recently returned to the Mets this year as a special assistant to now-former general manager Billy Eppler.

Back in 2019, Beltran was hired as the team's manager after they parted ways with Mickey Callaway. But he was let go before the 2020 season started due to his role in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal when MLB released details of their investigation. Considering Beltran was in the Mets organization in 2023, there was speculation about whether Cohen and Stearns would consider giving Beltran another shot.

That answer now appears to be no.

Sammon writes that the team is still in the beginning stages of their managerial search and that it's unknown what Stearn's timeline is to make a hire. Other unknowns are whether Counsell will leave Milwaukee for New York once his contract expires on Oct. 31 and what other candidates they are looking at outside the organization.

The offseason officially begins the day after the World Series concludes, which could come as early as Nov. 1 or as late as Nov. 5. The clock is ticking for the Mets to find a manager. While there's not much known about their managerial search, this latest report confirms that the team isn't looking at candidates already in the organization.