The New York Mets reportedly have "preliminary interest" in veteran manager Buck Showalter, Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada, Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Don Kelly and former Detroit Tigers and former Los Angeles Angels manager Brad Ausmus for their vacant managerial position, per SNY's Andy Martino.

Martino added that the Mets have "discussed other names internally," so other candidates could emerge. In addition, Robert Murray of FanSided reported that former Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson is on the team's list of managerial candidates. 

However, Martino noted that Granderson was only mentioned as a candidate "because he is so highly respected." The 40-year-old is not expected to interview for the job because the Mets "feel they need someone in that job with more experience," Martino adds. 

Showalter, 65, has not managed in MLB since 2018 when he was manager of the Baltimore Orioles. He managed the O's for nine years, compiling a 669-684 record, and led the franchise to a 6-8 record in the postseason. 

Showalter has also managed the Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees. The three-time manager of the year is 1,551-1,517 in his 20 seasons as a manager and 9-14 in the postseason. 

Espada, meanwhile, has spent the last four seasons as a bench coach for the Astros. He has no MLB managerial experience, though he has managed several times in Winter Ball action. In addition, he served as third base coach for Puerto Rico in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classics. The 2017 team featured three Mets players: Francisco Lindor, Edwin Diaz, and Seth Lugo.

According to Martino, it's impossible to name a front-runner at the moment. However, he wrote, "It does feel like there’s early buzz surrounding Espada."

Qautraro and Kelly also have no MLB managerial experience. However, in addition to serving as the Rays' bench coach in 2018, Quatraro served as manager for several teams in Tampa Bay's minor league system. Kelly served as first base coach for the Astros in 2019 and has served as the Pirates bench coach since 2020. 

Ausmus, meanwhile, served as manager of the Detroit Tigers from 2014-17. He went 314-332 in that span and 0-3 in the postseason. The 52-year-old also served as manager of the Angels in 2019, going 72-90, before being fired.  

Granderson, who is president of the Players Alliance, does not have any managerial experience and only recently hung up the cleats, having played his last game in 2019 as a member of the Miami Marlins. 

The three-time All-Star spent three and a half seasons with the Mets from 2014-17 and also played for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays.