Mets Fire Carlos Mendoza After 34-47 Start
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- The New York Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday after a 34-47 start, their worst record of the season leaving them 13 games under .500
- David Stearns said the decision to dismiss Mendoza and name Andy Green interim manager was made with owner Steve Cohen, declining to share who initiated the conversation
- Francisco Lindor publicly assumed blame, saying 'We failed Mendy' and acknowledging he 'didn't play to my capability to help him win as many games as we could'
- The Mets entered Friday with a 5.2% chance of reaching the postseason per FanGraphs, trailing 14½ games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East and 9½ games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the final wild card
- Juan Soto, the team's highest-paid player on a 15-year, $765 million contract, said the front office called him Friday morning and that he quickly called Mendoza to thank him
- Andy Green, who previously managed the San Diego Padres for nearly four seasons, said the interim job was 'a responsibility more than an opportunity' and he will return to his VP of player development role after the season
- Stearns said he has not considered stepping down, his five-year contract runs through 2028, and that Cohen has communicated his support for the front office's direction
Why it matters: A manager who took the Mets two wins shy of the 2024 World Series is gone less than two years later, signaling owner Steve Cohen's patience has a ceiling even for a rookie skipper he backed for months. Lindor, Soto and Bichette publicly absorbing the blame buys Stearns and the front office runway — but with the league's second-highest payroll, a 5.2% playoff probability and 81 games left, accountability now sits squarely on a star-studded clubhouse that has yet to coalesce.
