Mets owner Steve Cohen announces Buck Showalter as team's next manager

After three seasons away from the game, Buck Showalter is back in baseball. Showalter was announced as the New York Mets' next manager Saturday.

Team owner Steve Cohen made the announcement on Twitter.

Showalter, 65, reportedly has a three-year deal with the team, per Jon Heyman.

Showalter has 20 years of experience as a manager in the big leagues. He's managed the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. His most recent stint came with the Orioles, who he led to a 669-684 record over nine seasons. Showalter was fired after leading the Orioles to a 47-115 record in 2018. He's been out of baseball the last three seasons.

Mets have big expectations after offseason moves

The Mets will enter the 2022 season with massive expectations after being aggressive in free agency. The Mets signed ace Max Scherzer, outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha and infielder Eduardo Escobar before the owners locked out the players in December. It was among the biggest spending sprees among teams this winter.

Those moves made the Mets one of the favorites to win the World Series. The Mets are +1100 to win it all in 2022, tied for the third-best odds in the majors. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros are the only two teams with better odds than the Mets to win it all.

That's assuming the 2022 MLB season gets played. The players were locked out by the owners in December after the collective-bargaining agreement expired. Negotiations have not resulted in a deal, and the start of the 2022 season could be affected if the two sides can't reach a new agreement soon.