Tonight, the Mets start a nine-game homestand on an 11-game losing streak. It’s easy to point fingers at the manager, but don’t expect Carlos Mendoza to be replaced.
Fans shouldn’t be entertaining the thought of a managerial change, despite what has gone on. Carlos Mendoza isn’t going to be fired this season, even if the Mets have a lousy homestand, which isn’t likely to happen. Minnesota, Colorado, and Washington should serve as a get-right formula for this struggling team.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns doesn’t come off as an executive who will follow the mob mentality. He lives in his own reality, whatever it is. He comes off as more of a guy who doesn’t understand what’s going on in his team’s clubhouse, based on not vibing with the players or being around them. He goes by what AI tells him to do.
Stearns traveled with the team on Friday to talk about what’s going on. He did not give his beleaguered manager a vote of confidence. He didn’t have to. Most of the time, it serves as a manager who is about to see his last days at the job. That should tell you that his manager is in no danger of losing his job.
Mets owner Steve Cohen has given the Mets’ baseball boss full autonomy on all baseball decisions. He did not get involved when Stearns was more than happy to let Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso leave as free agents, and when he traded Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil. You can bet he won’t coerce Stearns into firing the Mets manager.
Things can change if Mendoza and Stearns have a falling-out over personnel and how a team should be run.
Stearns hired “his own guy” as manager, knowing the orders would be followed, including a lineup dictated by the front office based on analytics. Mendoza does not come off as a guy who will push back against his boss, and he’s also not a freethinker. What’s more, firing Mendoza would be pointless. Stearns would just hire another stooge, such as bench coach Kai Correa, to do what he wants.
This is today’s baseball, where executives control what’s going on in the game, and managers just sit there. Does two-time World Series champion Dodgers manager Dave Roberts actually manage? No question is required when it comes to the Yankees’ Aaron Boone. (Of course, the answer is no.)
Happier days (Nov ’23) when David Stearns introduced Carlos Mendoza as the Mets’ new manager (photo by Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)
Don’t blame Mendoza for what’s going on. This roster lacks soul. It has hitters who can’t hit. Francisco Lindor? He seems to have lost it physically.
A new manager won’t make a difference. It’s not a matter of players wanting to play for their manager. These Mets play for Mendoza. It’s just that the roster isn’t very good; Terry Francona, one of the best strategists in the game, wouldn’t change that.
The Amazins’ are 45-70 since June 13, 2025, including 7-15 to start ’26 with a .318 win percentage that’s the NL’s worst.
But there’s always hope that things can even out. This season may turn out to be the reverse of last, when the Mets began like the season like a house on fire (45-24) and ended the year like a house that had burned down (38-55).
For Mendoza, he should feel good about managing in 2027 as long as this team doesn’t lose 100 games. How do fans feel? (Next question….)
