The New York Mets “are still happy” with manager Carlos Mendoza despite missing the 2025 MLB playoffs, according to The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Will Sammon.
Britton and Sammon cited a source who said president of baseball operations David Stearns “chose the right guy.”
Another person with the Mets expressed their belief Mendoza has the demeanor that’s necessary in such a demanding setting.
“I really think he’s done everything in his power,” they said. “In this market, you want that type of leader: somebody who is steady and going to be honest.”
The praise toward Mendoza wasn’t universal, though.
“A few players thought Mendoza’s communication was not as sharp as it could be,” Britton and Sammon wrote. “Others suggested that he showed some unnecessary panic early in the season when he kept shuffling roles for different players. That will be part of the conversation this winter.”
The Athletic reporters went on to say, “The expectation is that there will be at least some turnover in that coaching staff ahead of next season.”
There’s no getting around how bad the Mets’ finish was. New York was cruising toward the postseason a few months ago before the bottom totally fell out.
As any manager would, Mendoza deserves some blame for that. The team’s biggest issue was a flaw a lot of people pointed out before Opening Day, though.
Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, David Peterson, Kodai Senga made up the starting rotation heading into the year. Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas were recovering from injuries and would join the unit later on.
The Mets were banking a lot of Holmes, who only became a full-time starter this year, and pitchers who had question marks over their health. Senga only made 22 starts, while Manaea and Montas combined to throw fewer than 100 innings.
In Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, Mendoza used eight different pitchers, and that pretty much says it all. As a collective, the pitching staff simply didn’t deliver, even
Having spent a ton of money on the starting lineup, Stearns’ more budget-conscious approach toward pitching backfired in a big way.
Rather than firing the manager, strengthening the Mets’ depth in that area may go a long way toward rebounding in 2026.
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