Buck Showalter praises LA Angels' Joe Maddon's influence after Mets hire

Some way, somehow, the LA Angels were actually partly responsible for Buck Showalter being hired by the New York Mets.

You're probably awfully confused by that sentence, but it's true. Look at what Showalter had to say about his hiring, and who paved the way for him to get there:

This is also a really awesome nod of respect from Showalter to Maddon. Many people forget how good of a manager Maddon is. Angels fans are lucky to have him.

Without Joe Maddon doing his thing for the Angels, Buck Showalter may not be managing the Mets.

Both the LA Angels' Joe Maddon and the New York Mets' Buck Showalter are great managers. Both are three-time Managers of the Year, and have won the honor with multiple different clubs.

Showalter's 65 years old, so he's a bit younger than Maddon, but is still up there in terms of age for MLB managers. Baseball has been more open to older managers in the past at times, but after Showalter had been out of the game for a few years, Maddon, Dusty Baker, and Tony La Russa certainly have made sure that door would stay open for Showalter.

While many may suggest that Maddon's win total this season (77) wasn't quite up to par with what La Russa (93) and Baker (95) showed, Maddon didn't have much of a chance with the amount of injuries he dealt with within his roster. Many also point out the fact that he successfully figured out how to get the very most out of two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani. He not only figured out how to keep Ohtani strong and durable this year, but helped him achieve a unanimous AL MVP and finish the year with his season being considered the greatest season in baseball history.

Both Showalter and Maddon will have better rosters to work with this year, due to the Angels getting healthier and due to the Mets having a great offseason. Without Maddon, however, their offseason may not have been as great as it was.