Something had to give.
With the third-worst record in the National League and amidst yet another long losing streak, the Mets have dismissed manager Carlos Mendoza, replacing him in the interim with Andy Green. President of baseball operations David Stearns announced the move Friday morning, ahead of the start of a series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“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 statement. “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.”
The Mets were swept by the Chicago Cubs in four games this week at Citi Field, and have lost six straight. The 34-47 mark is last in the NL East.
The 2026 season has been an abject disaster, the sort that was more common under the previous ownership. Injuries have hit the Mets hard, but much of the roster has underperformed this season. From April 8-21, the Mets lost 12 straight games. No team in modern MLB history has gone on to reach the postseason after suffering a losing streak of 12 games or more.
Juan Soto missed time early this season with a calf strain, and when he returned in April, Francisco Lindor suffered a more severe calf strain that landed him on the IL. The shortstop and key team leader returned Wednesday.
Injured or not, the starting rotation has a 4.90 ERA, the third-worst in baseball, and has pitched the fifth-fewest innings. The offense ranks toward the bottom of the league in nearly every category, and the defense has taken a huge step back this season with -14 Outs Above Average.
You’d never know the team was built around “run prevention.”
The Mets have used five different first basemen, six third basemen, five shortstops, 11 left fielders, four center fielders and seven right fielders already this season. Several players have been forced to play out of position, but others were signed to change positions, like Polanco and Bo Bichette, which then forced others to move around the diamond.
The manager often ends up being the fall guy for poor roster construction.
Stearns endorsed Mendoza in May, telling MLB.com he did not plan to make a managerial change this season, but the situation grew dire enough where the club had not choice but to change something, and they had already changed out nearly the entire coaching staff underneath Mendoza over the offseason.
Mendoza was the first manager hired by Stearns after he took over as the club’s president of baseball operations after the conclusion of the 2023 season. The Mets dismissed manager Buck Showalter with one year left on his contract to accommodate Stearns, allowing the executive to select his own skipper. In his first season at the helm, the Mets went 89-73, reaching the postseason as a Wild Card team and reaching Game 6 of the NLCS.
He was named a finalist for NL Manager of the Year, only two years after Showalter won the award.
Mendoza, 46, finishes with a record of 206-198. He had been managing on an expiring contract all season, with an option for 2027. The Mets did not exercise his option coming into the season, leaving room for doubt after a second-half collapse last season that saw the Amazins’ miss the postseason by a single game.
With Soto, one of the league’s best sluggers, joining the team in 2025, the Mets went 55-42 in the first half, tumbling out of contention in the second with a 28-37 finish.
A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Mendoza came to the Mets after a lengthy tenure with the Yankees. He worked his way up the coaching ranks in the Bronx, starting in the minor leagues and working up to the bench coach role for six seasons.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to Carlos Mendoza for his leadership and unwavering commitment,” owner and CEO Steve Cohen said in a statement. “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.”
Green has was hired as the senior vice president of player development in 2024. The 48-year-old previously managed the San Diego Padres from 2016-2019, guiding the Friars to a 274-366 record. He’ll become the fifth manager of the Mets since Terry Collins took a front office position following the 2017 season, or the sixth if you count Carlos Beltran, who did not manage a game.
It’s the first time the Mets have made an in-season managerial change since 2008, when they fired Willie Randolph.
Mendoza is the third manager fired this season. The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on April 28, replacing him with interim manager Don Mattingly, three days after the Boston Red Sox fired Alex Cora. The move has worked out for Philadelphia, with the Phillies currently in second place in the NL East and first in the NL Wild Card standings. It’s been less successful for Boston and Chad Tracy; the Red Sox are 33-46, last in the AL East.
