Mets fire Carlos Mendoza: Manager out after dismal first half in Queens

Halfway into the 2026 MLB season, the Mets have fired manager Carlos Mendoza. They made the announcement Friday after getting swept by the Cubs in a four-game series at Citi Field earlier this week. The Mets (34-47 at the 81-game mark) have struggled consistently this season, starting with a 12-game losing streak in April. Andy Green will serve as the club’s interim manager for the remainder of the 2026 season.

Mendoza, who was hired ahead of the 2024 season, led the Mets to the playoffs in his first year, when they lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. The 2025 season got off to a hot start with a 45-24 record before an all-time collapse that saw the Mets go 38-55 to end the year and miss the playoffs.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to Carlos Mendoza for his leadership and unwavering commitment. He represented this organization with integrity and dedication throughout, and I wish him and his family all the best,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a statement. “Our commitment to bringing our fans a championship-caliber team has not changed. There is no sugar coating it: this season has been a disappointment and our fans deserve better than what we’ve delivered.”

Mendoza also released his own statement on Friday: 

I would like to thank Steve and Alex Cohen. They are tremendous owners who care deeply about their people, their families, and the entire organization. I am grateful for the opportunity they gave me to lead this team.

I also want to thank David Stearns for giving me the chance to manage at the major league level. It was a privilege to work alongside him every day, and I greatly appreciated his support, trust, and partnership.

Thank you to everyone throughout the Mets organization, especially our coaches, staff, and players. The relationships we built and the memories we created will stay with me forever. I will never forget our special postseason run in 2024 and the resilience, commitment, and passion that group showed every day.

Finally, thank you to the fans. Your energy, loyalty, and unwavering support made it an honor to wear the Mets uniform and represent this organization. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring a championship to Queens.

New York will always hold a special place in my heart. I leave with tremendous gratitude, pride in what we accomplished together, and confidence that the future of this organization is bright. I wish the Mets and their fans nothing but success in the years ahead. 

Mendoza, the first manager the Mets have fired in-season since Willie Randolph in 2008, went 206-199 in two-and-a-half seasons in the dugout. But the Mets have had the fourth-worst record in baseball since mid-June 2025.

The Mendoza Line

‘Embarrassing’ six-error loss was final straw

Mendoza is the third manager to be fired this season, joining Alex Cora of the Red Sox and Rob Thomson of the Phillies. Both Cora and Thomson were fired in April, and it seemed like the Mets could follow suit and dismiss Mendoza early in the season. But the franchise gave him a chance to right the ship. 

The Mets went 12-8 between May 27 and June 18, but then they lost the final six games of the Mendoza era, getting outscored by 32 runs in the process. The low point of the season came on Wednesday night, when the Mets were swept by the Cubs in a doubleheader. They committed six errors in the nightcap, a 10-5 loss.

“It’s embarrassing,” Mendoza said afterward.

The Mets had grand intentions entering the season, particularly after David Stearns’ overhaul that saw the team ship out Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, among others, and bring in Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Freddy Peralta and Luis Robert Jr. But that transformative winter has failed and the team chose to move on from the man in the dugout.

The Mets have the highest payroll in baseball and had the second-highest preseason win total (90.5) entering the season. No team that has won less than 35 of its first 81 games has made the playoffs in MLB history.

How did this go so wrong?

Despite a full roster reload by Stearns, the president of baseball operations, in the offseason, 2026 was merely a continuation of the previous year’s disappointment.

The Mets’ offense ranks 29th in baseball in OPS (.675), 26th in average (.231) and 24th in runs per game (4.05). Juan Soto has been his usual tremendous self at the plate (slashing .299/.399/.567 in 62 games around an injury), but the Mets are not getting much reliable production from anywhere else. Bichette, who signed a three-year, $126 million contract in the offseason, has had a strong June, but he entered the month with a .583 OPS. Francisco Lindor has been limited to 25 games and has only six extra-base hits in 110 plate appearances.

Jorge Polanco, another addition in free agency, has been limited to 14 games and has not played since mid-April due to an Achilles injury. Polanco’s absence has resulted in more playing time for Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, two younger players who have stalled out. They are both hitting .217 entering the weekend.

The pitching has been better than the offense (the Mets’ 4.17 team ERA ranks 16th in the majors), but several key arms have had rough seasons.

The Mets traded for Peralta to be their ace in the offseason. He has a 91 ERA+ in 17 starts and gave up 10 earned runs to the Phillies last Saturday. Williams, brought in to replace Díaz in the closer’s role, has a 4.44 ERA. Veteran lefties David Peterson and Sean Manaea have not been able to replicate their previous success. Manaea has a 4.87 ERA and Peterson, with his 6.09 ERA, was traded to the Cubs earlier this week. Righty Kodai Senga had an ERA north of 10 before he was moved to the bullpen.

“Carlos’ impact on our players, staff, and culture over the last three seasons has been transformative. Unfortunately, we know we are falling short and change is necessary to move forward,” Stearns said in a statement.

What’s next?

In the dugout, Green takes over and will be the interim skipper for the final 81 games of the 2026 season. Green, 48, previously managed the Padres from 2016-2019, going 274-366 (.428) without any playoff appearances. Green had been in the Mets’ front office as senior vice president for player development prior to the interim appointment. Stearns on Friday said that Green will return to the front office after the 2026 season, at which point the club will begin the search for a permanent manager. 

But the Mets’ season moving forward figures to be about what happens between now and the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The Mets have plenty of trade candidates — laid out here by CBS Sports’ Dayn Perry — including Peralta, Luke Weaver, A.J. Minter and the injured Clay Holmes.

The Mets look like sellers on paper. But earlier this week, Stearns told the media that he still wanted to give the team a chance to get back in the playoff hunt before making decisions about the deadline.

“I think we’re going to continue to give this team time to prove that we can get back in this in a very legitimate sense,” Stearns told reporters.

Three losses and one fired manager later, and the Mets are 9 ½ games out of the third wild-card spot in the National League.