Mets fire Carlos Mendoza amid nightmare season despite having baseball’s largest $330M payroll
The New York Mets’ season has hit rock bottom, and they are making a major change in the clubhouse.
Carlos Mendoza, who took the team to a National League Championship Series in his first year as an MLB manager in 2024, has been relieved of his duties.
A nightmare season for the Mets reached a tipping point on Thursday night when the Mets were swept in four games by the Chicago Cubs. They have been outscored 58-22 during their current six-game losing streak, and they are 13 games under .500, the lowest mark of the season.
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Since June 13 last year, the Mets are 72-102.
This was nearly impossible to predict because the Mets have the largest payroll in baseball at nearly $330 million, but a 12-game losing streak in April has been impossible to overcome.
After owning the best record in baseball at one point last summer, the Mets suffered an epic collapse to miss the postseason on the final day of the season. Afterward, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns overhauled the roster, and none of it has worked.
The Mets let Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walk in free agency while trading Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, and brought in Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert, Bo Bichette, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. Polanco has not played since April 14 and Robert since April 26, while Bichette is on pace for, by far, the worst full season of his career. Williams owns a 4.44 ERA after struggling with the New York Yankees last season, but Luke Weaver’s 2.12 ERA is a lone bright spot.
The Mets’ offense has the second-worst OPS in the league, at .675, and their starting pitchers’ 4.90 ERA is the third-worst mark. They also have the third-most errors in the league, despite Stearns opting for “run prevention” in the offseason.
But the first to get the axe was Mendoza.
“Carlos has led the organization with passion and grace and is beloved by everyone who works with him on a daily basis,” Stearns said in a release. “Carlos’ impact on our players, staff, and culture over the last three seasons has been transformative. Unfortunately, we know we are falling short and change is necessary to move forward.”
Owner Steve Cohen added, “I want to express my deepest gratitude to Carlos Mendoza for his leadership and unwavering commitment. He represented this organization with integrity and dedication throughout, and I wish him and his family all the best.
“Our commitment to bringing our fans a championship-caliber team has not changed. There is no sugar coating it: this season has been a disappointment and our fans deserve better than what we’ve delivered.”
Amid a six-error night on Wednesday, which came during the second loss of a doubleheader, fans chanted Alonso’s name out of frustration. That night was also the first time since 1962, the team’s first year in existence, that the Mets had an error by each infielder.
Former San Diego Padres manager Andy Green, who had been working in the team’s front office, will take over as the interim manager.
The Mets are 34-47 at the exact midway point of the season, putting them on pace to win fewer than 70 games for the first time since 2003.
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