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The walls seemed to be closing in on the Mets, but there had always been the benefit of time.
When David Stearns met with the media back on May 12, the club had sputtered to a 22-30 start and the Phillies and Red Sox had both fired their managers.
Stearns insisted Mendoza was not the problem.
"I've been very clear and consistent that I think Mendy does a good job. I believe Mendy does a really good job," Stearns said. "I like coming to work with him every day. I am not going to address this every two weeks when I talk to you guys, and I'll leave it at that."
A little more than two weeks later, Stearns provided optimism for a turnaround.
But things have not gotten better. In fact, they have gotten worse, with the Mets sitting at 34-47 at the halfway point of the season. Now, the Mets president of baseball operations has forced a discussion after the Mets fired Carlos Mendoza midway through his third season.
There is nowhere left to hide for Stearns on the sinking ship. Injuries, underperformance and a hatchet job of roster construction have left the Mets front office to push the final panic button.
Andy Green will take over as the team's interim manager for the remainder of the 2026 season, but the impetus will be on the players to simply play better. And Stearns will be forced to look into the mirror to figure out how $365 million has swirled down the drain in a disastrous campaign.
The questions that have consumed Mendoza for 81 games will now be handed off to Stearns.
Mendoza will no longer have to answer for the Mets' underwhelming performance. In recent days, he had noted the team's "embarrassing" play and the dwindling days to turn things around. The finish line came at the midway point for the Mets manager.
The Mets are tied for the sixth-worst record in Major League Baseball, but what more could have Mendoza done?
The Mets' starting rotation is now only four dependable members, with Kodai Senga relegated to the bullpen and David Peterson shipped away in the name of roster flexibility as his own struggles mounted.
Stearns gutted the core, and Pete Alonso's replacement, Jorge Polanco, has not been seen since before taxes were filed. A gamble on Luis Robert Jr. has proven a penniless endeavor.
The last generation of baby Mets (Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez) have not grown into consistent performers.
Bo Bichette floundered out of the gate and Francisco Lindor sat idle on the bench for most of it.
It all came to a crashing halt with a mistake-riddled four-game sweep to the Cubs amid an ongoing six-game losing streak. Alonso's name was chanted as the Mets made two of their eight errors in two jarring losses.
Mendoza was the fall guy for the failures.
Now, the players and Stearns will have nowhere left to hide for their performance the rest of the way.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Did Carlos Mendoza deserve to be fired? Who to blame for Mets' mess
Continue reading...
When David Stearns met with the media back on May 12, the club had sputtered to a 22-30 start and the Phillies and Red Sox had both fired their managers.
Stearns insisted Mendoza was not the problem.
"I've been very clear and consistent that I think Mendy does a good job. I believe Mendy does a really good job," Stearns said. "I like coming to work with him every day. I am not going to address this every two weeks when I talk to you guys, and I'll leave it at that."
A little more than two weeks later, Stearns provided optimism for a turnaround.
But things have not gotten better. In fact, they have gotten worse, with the Mets sitting at 34-47 at the halfway point of the season. Now, the Mets president of baseball operations has forced a discussion after the Mets fired Carlos Mendoza midway through his third season.
There is nowhere left to hide for Stearns on the sinking ship. Injuries, underperformance and a hatchet job of roster construction have left the Mets front office to push the final panic button.
Andy Green will take over as the team's interim manager for the remainder of the 2026 season, but the impetus will be on the players to simply play better. And Stearns will be forced to look into the mirror to figure out how $365 million has swirled down the drain in a disastrous campaign.
The questions that have consumed Mendoza for 81 games will now be handed off to Stearns.
Mendoza will no longer have to answer for the Mets' underwhelming performance. In recent days, he had noted the team's "embarrassing" play and the dwindling days to turn things around. The finish line came at the midway point for the Mets manager.
The Mets are tied for the sixth-worst record in Major League Baseball, but what more could have Mendoza done?
The Mets' starting rotation is now only four dependable members, with Kodai Senga relegated to the bullpen and David Peterson shipped away in the name of roster flexibility as his own struggles mounted.
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Stearns gutted the core, and Pete Alonso's replacement, Jorge Polanco, has not been seen since before taxes were filed. A gamble on Luis Robert Jr. has proven a penniless endeavor.
The last generation of baby Mets (Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez) have not grown into consistent performers.
Bo Bichette floundered out of the gate and Francisco Lindor sat idle on the bench for most of it.
It all came to a crashing halt with a mistake-riddled four-game sweep to the Cubs amid an ongoing six-game losing streak. Alonso's name was chanted as the Mets made two of their eight errors in two jarring losses.
Mendoza was the fall guy for the failures.
Now, the players and Stearns will have nowhere left to hide for their performance the rest of the way.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Did Carlos Mendoza deserve to be fired? Who to blame for Mets' mess
Continue reading...
