The New York Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday, June 26, 2026, after a prolonged slump that left the team in last place in the NL East.
The decision came amid a seven-game losing streak, which extended to eight games after a 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the debut of interim manager Andy Green.
The Mets hold a 34-48 record despite having the second-highest payroll in baseball at over $365 million.
Lindor Takes Responsibility
Shortstop Francisco Lindor expressed personal responsibility for the managerial change. "We failed Mendy," Lindor said.
"I failed Mendy."
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns addressed the team's lack of continuity and first-half struggles during a press conference.
"When you have a first half like this, you play like this for a prolonged stretch, it's never just one thing," Stearns said.
"It's probably a variety of things, and that is possible."
Stearns acknowledged that no single change would instantly fix the team.
"I understand there's no magic bullet here, there's no one change that's immediately going to turn this around," he said.
"This is incremental, this is day to day, this is doing the work every single day to get us back on track."
Green will serve as interim manager for the remainder of the season, after which the Mets will conduct a full managerial search.
Stearns praised Green's experience and familiarity with the players.
Green's First Day
Interim manager Andy Green spoke to the team and later commented on his respect for Mendoza.
"I said the thing I think is the highest compliment in baseball that I hope people say about me when it's all said and done," Green said.
"'You are a good man who cares about people and puts the organization first.' I think those things are real to him."
Green noted the difficulty of scoring against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. "It's tough to win baseball games when you put one run on the board," he said.
"Obviously, the guy on the other side is one of the best pitchers in baseball."
Right-hander Christian Scott expressed enthusiasm for playing under Green, citing their relationship built during Green's tenure overseeing player development.
"Andy is the man," Scott said. "He was great when I was coming up.
He has a lot of experience being a manager, player and has worked in the front office. He understands the aspects of the game."
Several anonymous Mets players shared insights with The New York Times. One player said, "Andy's speech was very good."
Another added, "He's a straight shooter."
