Carlos Mendoza heard the news in a morning meeting with David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations. By the end of it he was no longer the manager.
New York entered Friday at 34-47, last in the NL East, and coming off a six-game losing streak. Andy Green, the organization’s vice president for player development, takes over on an interim basis. Mendoza was in the final season of a three-year contract that included a club option for 2027. At 46, he became the first Mets manager fired in-season since Willie Randolph in 2008.
“You are a partner with the manager. Carlos and I spoke almost every day for the last 2 1/2 years, so these are difficult decisions,” Stearns said.
Stearns stays
Asked whether he had considered stepping aside himself, Stearns, who oversees a $380 million payroll, said he believes the club is “building the foundation of an organization that can deliver what we all want.” He added that the record “is nowhere good enough.” He also took responsibility: “Ultimately everything that occurs in baseball operations, including our major league record, is my responsibility.”
The decision was organizational, Stearns said, and owner Steve Cohen was consulted. He would not say who started the change. Cohen told him his job is safe.
The Mets began the day 9 1/2 games out of the final NL wild-card spot. Stearns called it an uphill battle but said the team is “not turning the page.”
What went wrong on the field
Juan Soto went down with a calf strain in April. When he returned, Francisco Lindor missed two months with a similar injury. Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert, both central to Stearns’ winter overhaul, have barely played because of injuries. Bo Bichette has only started producing in recent weeks. The rotation has fallen apart, with Kodai Senga and David Peterson, who was traded to the Cubs this week, among the problems. Freddy Peralta, the offseason pitching prize, carries a 4.53 ERA.
Lindor said Mendoza apologized to him Friday for not helping the team win more. “But at the end of the day it was not on him,” Lindor said. “This is not on him, it’s more on us, the players.”
Green managed the Padres to a 274-466 record from 2016 to 2019. He will run the club through the end of the season and then return to the front office, Stearns said, which leaves the Mets a full managerial search in the offseason.
“I can’t stand in the box. I can’t go catch a ground ball. I can’t throw a pitch from the mound. This isn’t a strategy problem,” Green said.
