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The New York Mets are expected to hire Milwaukee Brewers executive David Stearns as their president of baseball operations once the regular season ends. Stearns will become the top baseball operations decision maker for the Mets, with incumbent general manager Billy Eppler remaining in place, albeit in a lower rung on the chain of authority.

While Eppler's status heading forward has already been reported on, the same cannot be said for manager Buck Showalter. It's not just a matter of the press being unable to secure the information -- Showalter himself admitted on Tuesday that he hasn't had any conversations about his future yet:

"This is not the time and place for my mind to be going there," Showalter told reporters prior to the Mets game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. "If you choose to and your job description tells you you should, then God bless you. Go ahead."

It's worth noting that, while Showalter's contract runs through next season, teams often avoid exposing their skippers to lame-duck situations. Normally, the response to a manager entering his final year is either to extend them or fire them. It's unclear which route the Mets will take.

With that established, there are some factors working against Showalter, including the Mets' underperformance this season -- a matter that cannot be blamed entirely on Showalter, mind you -- and the presence of a new boss. In a coincidence that could or could not end up mattering with respect to Showalter, current Brewers skipper Craig Counsell is expected to become a free agent at season's end. It's unknown if Stearns would be interested in reuniting with Counsell in New York, or if Counsell would share that interest.

Whatever the case, expect Showalter's future to remain a matter of speculation until the Mets make things official one way or another.