The New York Mets have made a major shakeup, firing manager Carlos Mendoza after a disastrous start to the season, Eyewitness News ABC7NY reported. The team is currently sitting in last place and has lost its last six games, a slide made all the more glaring by the fact that the Mets carry the second-largest payroll in all of baseball.
Stepping into the dugout is Andy Green, who has been named the club's interim manager. The 40-year-old previously managed the San Diego Padres from 2016 to 2019, and he will be at the helm when the Mets open their weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field.
The move is a rare one for the franchise. According to the report, it marks the first time the Mets have replaced a manager in the middle of a season since they parted ways with Willie Randolph back in 2008, underscoring how unusual and dramatic the in-season decision is for the organization.
Mendoza's exit closes out a tenure that spanned two and a half seasons. He had guided the team to the National League Championship Series in 2024, and with a roster built to contend, the Mets were widely expected to reach the playoffs again this year, which made the collapse and his dismissal sting even more.
At Citi Field, the mood among supporters captured the frustration of a lost season. Even diehard fans hanging by the players' parking lot in hope of an autograph admitted the change was overdue, with some saying it should have happened earlier, even if not quite two months ago, rather than dragging into June.
While Mendoza took the immediate fall, much of the fans' anger is directed elsewhere. A large share of the wrath is aimed at David Stearns, the head of baseball operations who built the roster, with critics arguing that his moves keep backfiring and questioning his heavily quantitative, analytics-driven approach to constructing the team.
For his part, Stearns has not stepped aside. He said he takes responsibility for the team's failures, understands the fan base's frustration and shares in it, even as he remains in his role. With Mendoza now gone and Green taking charge, the Mets will try to begin turning their season around against the Phillies.