New York Mets leadership is maintaining confidence in manager Carlos Mendoza even as the team endures one of its most challenging starts in franchise history, according to statements made by baseball operations president David Stearns to MLB.com on Friday.
The organization decided to retain Mendoza for his third campaign following a disappointing previous season that saw the team fail to reach postseason play. As they prepare for their weekend matchups in Anaheim, the Mets carry the majors’ poorest record at 10-21, marking the third-most difficult beginning through 31 games in the team’s entire history.
“We know our record is not what we want, and we know we are capable of more,” Stearns said. “We don’t view this as a manager problem, and we don’t intend to make a change.”
While two other skippers have already lost their positions during the season’s opening weeks – Boston’s Alex Cora and Philadelphia’s Rob Thomson – Mets ownership apparently attributes the team’s struggles more to early-season injuries affecting star players Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor rather than any shortcomings in Mendoza’s leadership approach.
The franchise now faces an unprecedented challenge in baseball history: attempting to recover from a 12-game losing streak and still secure a playoff berth, something no major league team has ever accomplished.
The 46-year-old Mendoza is currently in his third year under the contract he inked before the 2024 campaign began. The organization holds an option to keep him under contract through the 2027 season.
