NEW YORK, N.Y.— When the Mets landed slugger Juan Soto in the winter following their 2024 NLCS run, expectations skyrocketed. But instead of October baseball this fall, the Queens ballclub saw its playoff hopes crushed by a season-ending loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday, leaving loads of question marks to address.
It figures to be a long offseason of tough personnel decisions and soul-searching about where Steve Cohen’s Mets go from here; but one major choice appears settled, as multiple reports confirm that manager Carlos Mendoza’s job is safe—for now.
One such source, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic/MLB Network, said that “from every indication, Mendoza is safe; he’s not going to be held responsible for that pitching staff, that rotation in particular, collapsing…”
“The Mets have no plans to fire Carlos Mendoza, but I am quite certain there will be some changes with the Mets, perhaps on their coaching staff, perhaps in their mix, on the roster,” he continued.
Mendoza, who signed a three-year deal before the 2024 season, is set to return in 2026. Entering a contract year, the skipper must do everything in his power to earn a new deal, starting with mission No. 1: leading the Mets back to the postseason.
Following the brutal loss to Miami, the manager took responsibility for the Mets’ nightmare end to the season, saying that “when you are managing a team that has a lot of expectations and you go home, questions like this are going to come up and that’s part of it. I’m responsible and I have to be better.”
Cohen also shared a similar message of accountability to his social media outlets, saying “Mets fans everywhere. 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. 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 owner continued.
