New York Mets general manager David Stearns told reporters Monday that manager Carlos Mendoza will return in 2025 despite overseeing one of the most epic collapses in baseball history this year.
The Mets had the best record in Major League Baseball in June, then went 38-55 over their final 93 games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only two teams in MLB history (the 1905 Cleveland Indians and the 1977 Chicago Cubs) finished with worse records after climbing at least 21 games over .500.
On Sunday, the final day of the regular season, the Mets were officially eliminated from postseason contention after securely holding a Wild Card berth all summer.
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The Cincinnati Reds and Mets both finished 83-79, but the Mets lost the tiebreaker by virtue of their head-to-head record this season. As the Reds travel to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers in a best-of-three Wild Card series, the Mets will go home for the offseason, left to wonder what went wrong.
Mendoza, the second-year manager who led the Mets to 89 wins and a National League Championship Series appearance a year ago, will not pay for the team’s collapse with his job.
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Earlier Monday, Mets owner Steve Cohen personally apologized to fans on social media.
“”Mets fans everywhere,” Cohen wrote. “I owe you an apology . You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part. We will do a post-mortem and figure out the obvious and less obvious reasons why the team didn’t perform up to your and my expectations We are all feeling raw emotions today.
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“I know how much time and effort you have put into this team. The result was unacceptable. Your emotions tell me how much you care and continues to motivate the organization to do better. Thank You to the best fans in sports.”
The National League Wild Card series begin Tuesday.