Should the clock start ticking on the Mets manager?
The team has underperformed for too long under Carlos Mendoza - whether its right or wrong, accountability is needed one way or another
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were off on Thursday - they open a three-game series with the Marlins tonight at Citi Field
OF Carson Benge has struggled at times this season but so far he has been able to overcome them and remain productive (Newsday)
Mets’ hitting director Jeff Albert still believes in this lineup and thinks they can turn it around (NJ.com)
RHP Huascar Brazobán, LHP Brooks Raley, and RHP Luke Weaver all didn’t allow a run to score, while combining for four strikeouts
2B Marcus Semien partnered with actor Hank Azaria to host a poker event for charity (SNY)
Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson responded to OF Juan Soto doing his signature celebration (SNY)
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation) made his first rehab appearance in Triple-A. He gave up three runs and struck out five in 3.2 innings of work
RHP Clay Holmes (fractured fibula) will not need surgery for his injury, but it could still be months before he can return to action
Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
On the latest midweek edition of the podcast, Andrew reacts to the Mets losing 2/3 to the Reds and attempts to find five positives about the 2026 season so far…
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
3B Andy Ibáñez (Triple-A): 4-for-5, 2 R, RBI
1B Ryan Clifford (No. 3 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-4, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB
3B Jacob Reimer (No. 4 prospect, Double-A) 2-for-4, R, RBI, 3 SB, BB, K
1B JT Schwartz (Double-A): 2-for-5, R, RBI, HR, 2 K
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (23-33) vs. Marlins (26-31)
Where: Citi Field — Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Freddy Peralta (3-4, 3.52 ERA) vs. RHP Max Meyer (5-0, 2.52 ERA)
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: WPIX
Is it time, and/or would the Mets be right to fire Carlos Mendoza? ✍️
It is no secret that the Mets are a bad baseball team, and the current standings reflect that. Injuries and underperformance have put this team in last place in the division with a lot of ground to make up if they want to turn this thing around.
But the reality is, despite their win on Wednesday night against the Reds which was filled to the top with problems and issues, there’s really no true signal of a turnaround. They did look a whole lot better in the first half of May, but the second half of May has looked more like the second half of April between the mental mistakes, the bad at-bats and the mediocre-at-best pitching on a daily basis.
Earlier in the season, SNY”s Steve Gelbs reported that the team really did not want to fire Carlos Mendoza even after the Red Sox let manager Alex Cora go. The Phillies also fired manager Rob Thompson, and once again, the spotlight is on the Mets and whether or not they should move on from Mendoza, not so much for the losses specifically but in the way they’re losing and the lackadaisical play.
For instance, in the series against the Reds, David Peterson failed to back up third base on a ball in play with runners on, and at this level, that simply cannot ever happen and that caused SNY analyst Ron Darling to harshly questioning the coaching staff on-air.
Now, is opinion on the matter probably isn’t relevant to the front office, nor our ours, but this isn’t some grand revelation Mr. Darling unearthed, either. It has been a problem all year, and all under Carlos Mendoza' and the rest of the coaching staff’s watch.
Perhaps the reason Mendoza is still here - for now anyway - is that he was handed this coaching staff by the front office. They’re not hand selected by him, so it would be difficult to indict Mendoza for the poor hitting, or the bad defense, or for individual parts of the game the team doesn’t do well.
But, it’s hard to make an argument for Mendoza for their clear lack of preparedness and focus on the field, ie the mental mistakes and the lackadaisicalness.
After the disappointment of last season and again this season, the argument to fire Mendoza remains valid. In a twist of fate, the team is inducting Bobby Valentine into the team’s Hall of Fame this weekend. We are also approaching the anniversary of when his entire coaching staff was fired on June 5, 1999 after that highly-touted team arrived at Yankee Stadium under .500. GM Steve Phillips spent $165.9 million to upgrade the team that offseason, and when the team got off to a 27-28 start, heads had to roll. Pitching coach Bob Apodaca, hitting coach Tom Robson, and bullpen coach Randy Niemann were all let go after a 6-3 loss to the Yankees.
Of course, 27-28 is a lot different than 23-33. That 1999 team was also probably more talented for it’s time than this one, as expensive as this one is for it’s time.
The 1999 team then went on a roll that got them all the way to two games short of a World Series appearance. It was also a different time when the front office had less of an influence on the on-field operation of the team, which again, might explain why Mendoza and his staff are still here today.
There is an endless debate about whether making a coaching change does in fact help the team in-season. From an outsiders perspective, people always believe it inevitably lights a fire under a club and re-steers them in the right direction. It can be argued it worked in Philadelphia this season, and in 2022 when they fired Joe Girardi and replaced him with Thompson. But that is not always the case, and it probably happens less than most people want to realize.
This SB Nation article from 2012 looked at coaching changes in all four men’s leagues and found only slight improvement when a change was made. The same could be said for the two teams that fired their coaches this season. The Red Sox’s woes continue, whereas the Phillies improved. The Mets and Yankees have fired managers in-season in the past as well, which did not lead to the improvement they or the public sought.
And, that’s probably because those managers weren’t the biggest problem those clubs had.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to accountability, which Darling was alluding to. While stability is a noble goal for an organization that has had a lot of turnover, the more the play doesn’t improve, the more someone needs to be held accountable, and whether fairly or unfairly, that has to be the coaching staff. If they stay in their positions, the message you are sending isn’t one of stability but of tolerability. You are telling fans that this level of play is acceptable, which is not going to go over well, especially with this fanbase.
And a team that is 72-90 over their last 162 games - and trending further downward from there - with the same manager and GM is sorely lacking any sort of true accountability. They blamed people for sure - just look at the entire coaching staff they turned over and players they sent packing during the winter. But blaming people who weren’t necessarily their biggest problem or problem at all is not acting at all accountable.
Maybe the turnaround starts with this new series against the Marlins, but if it doesn’t, changes to the fabric of the team need to be made, and they can’t can the players, can they?
Around the League 🚩
One day after the MLBPA put forth their first proposal, MLB countered with their proposal which introduces a salary cap to the sport (ESPN)
Pirates rookie SS Konnor Griffin was out of the lineup with forearm tightness and is considered day-to-day (ESPN)
The city of Sacramento officially unveiled its bid for an expansion team with a ballpark and funding details (Forbes)
Umpire CB Bucknor is still dealing with health issues related to getting struck in the mask by a foul ball early in the season and has yet to return to calling games (The Athletic)
There is a very deep field for this year’s NL Cy Young race (MLB.com)
Accountability is needed but it has to come from the owner. If he cares about winning and putting a solid product on the field like he promised us then we need to make front office changes. Then let that person dictate what happens with the coaching staff. Getting rid of Mendoza and/or some of his staff misses the mark in my opinion. Mendoza does not construct the team and it's not clear that he makes the decisions overall.
Unless Steve is going to fire David mid-season , then let it ride . My vote would be for Steve to fire David. Bring in someone else, let them decide the fate of the staff. Let the manager choose who he will work with and try to turn this around. Doing this though would indicate a rebuild of sorts because what we have now needs an overhaul.
A more animated Mendoza would help. More creativity in manufacturing runs.....do they steal enough? Ranking?. The GM should be sent to AAA to refine his skills as he seems to subscribe to the scrap metal heep methodology too much. I thought Semien a great catch....but now? Same with handful of others. I realize the Dodgers ALWAYS get the best players but did Mets TRY to get the rookie Japanese star that's leading league in homers??? Mendoza ALMOST did the best he could with the roster he had....