Carlos Mendoza out as Mets manager
Desperate to save a season that has failed to live up to expectations, the Mets played one of the last cards in their hand to start the second half and replaced Carlos Mendoza as manager on Friday morning.
Mets senior vice president of baseball development Andy Green became the interim manager, debuting with Friday night’s 2-1 loss to the Phillies at Citi Field, the team’s seventh straight defeat.
Mendoza’s job security had been a question for president of baseball operations David Stearns at every news conference he’s done since the team slipped back into last place in the NL East during a 12-game losing streak in April. Until Friday, he had been unwavering in his support.
“I was steadfast in my support for Carlos because we believe in Carlos and we believe that . . . with him helping us lead this, we were going to turn it around,” Stearns said. “We haven’t. In some cases, it’s gotten worse. And when that happens, at some point you’ve got to make a change. There’s not one moment or one thing or one observation, but it was time and so we did.”
The Mets (34-48) were swept by the Cubs in a four-game series at Citi Field this week and had allowed 54 runs in the previous six games entering Friday. They had made eight errors in their previous two games, six alone in Wednesday night’s doubleheader nightcap.
The Mets are 16 games behind NL East-leading Atlanta and 10 games out of the third and final NL wild-card spot.
The Mets did make one inconsequential error in Friday’s loss. What was consequential was Phillies centerfielder Derek Hill making a spectacular leaping catch of what surely would have been a two-run homer by Juan Soto in the first inning. Soto called the play “incredible” and “unbelievable.”
Mets owner Steve Cohen thanked Mendoza for his commitment in a club statement announcing the move and added: “Our commitment to bringing our fans a championship-caliber team has not changed. There is no sugarcoating it: This season has been a disappointment and our fans deserve better than what we’ve delivered.”
Mendoza issued a statement in which he thanked Cohen for giving him the chance to manage and expressed gratitude to Stearns, the staff and the players. He also thanked Mets fans and said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t bring a championship to Queens.”
After the club collapsed in the second half to miss the 2025 postseason, Stearns ushered the organization through a major roster overall. Most of its signature players were traded or not re-signed as he sought a new approach.
The team, despite Cohen’s $380 million payroll, has underperformed almost from the very start, including the 12 straight April losses. Injuries to starting position players have plagued the club, but many others have played poorly despite being healthy.
Francisco Lindor said he was “shocked” at the news and said that in a phone conversation, Mendoza “apologized for not helping us win. But at the end of the day, this is not on him — it’s more on us, the players, that we didn’t perform to our capabilities.”
Stearns said neither Mendoza’s dismissal nor Wednesday’s trade of pitcher David Peterson, the longest-tenured Met, should signal that the organization is abandoning this season.
“I understand we have an uphill battle ahead of us this year, but we’re not turning the page,” he said. “We all remain very focused on doing everything we can to win as many games this year while recognizing where we are in the standings.”
In his debut season with the Mets, Mendoza led them to the 2024 National League Championship Series and was a finalist for NL Manager of the Year. He exits with a record of 206-199.
Green’s move to the dugout is for only the remainder of the season; he will return to his position in the front office after it concludes. He managed the Padres from 2016-19 and compiled a record of 274-366, with his teams never winning more than 71 games. Green called the move back to the dugout “a responsibility more than an opportunity.”
He said that once the decision was made to move on from Mendoza, “I genuinely believe that given my life experience, I was best positioned to help the next three months and see what we can get done as a group.”
Philadelphia has thrived since a managerial change to Don Mattingly, going 37-17. Boston is five games under .500 since replacing Alex Cora with Chad Tracy.
Green has a philosophy he plans to apply to get the team’s talent to perform better.
“The best thing we can do is recognize what keeps most people from performing is the burden they carry with them to work every day, and that burden is usually from carrying too much and wanting to be great for a city, for a manager, for a team,” Green said. “Those guys are trying to come together for Mendy, to be great for Mendy because they care about Mendy.
“When you get to the finality in this moment — it’s passed — and then sometimes you see guys play with a greater measure of freedom.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
