When Steve Cohen bought the New York Mets back in 2020, he had his priorities right. He wanted to turn the Mets into a franchise that looked like the East Coast version of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The model was honestly simple—use financial muscle with a healthy pipeline of homegrown stars. And honestly, the farm system isn’t just good anymore; it is the best in the league.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel only just recently put the Mets as No. 1, with six players sitting inside the mid-season Top 100 list. Nolan McLean, Jett Williams, Carson Benge, and Jonah Tong—all headline a sea of talent. Just imagine if four new starters, future center fielders, all came in together—that’s the depth Cohen dreamed of.

And Mets president David Stearns isn’t hiding how he wants to use this depth. “Once you get into the latter stages of the year…the priority is who are the 14 best pitchers,” Stearns said. “In previous points in my career, we have used top starter prospects out of the pen. Not necessarily committing to anything here, but we would be foolish not to consider it.” So it means don’t be surprised to see the kids make it to the big leagues sooner rather than later. And this might be necessary.

This is because Kodai Senga has not been the same pitcher he was before coming off the injured list. Monday night, they had over the Philadelphia Phillies, which just highlighted the problem. Senga battled for four messy innings, giving up three runs, six hits, and three walks. His ERA is at 5.40—yes, that bad! He has not gone six innings once in eight starts. New York Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza was blunt in his assessment of Senga, saying, “It was a struggle for him. A lot of noncompetitive pitches, a lot of balls coming out of the hand—just not being able to get ahead, and when you’re falling behind hitters, especially against a lineup like that, it’s going to be hard to find success.”

And Stearns, by saying what he said, just removed the importance of Senga from the staff. Now it’s not surprising because he was supposed to be the ace. His not being able to perform has lessened his importance in the team. Plus, the Mets have no time to wait for Senga and him to rediscover his split-finger magic. Not when the offense is hitting and the bullpen is piecing things together. For years, the Mets were desperate to have someone like Senga to carry the load. But maybe not anymore, with the kids coming in strong.

New York Mets president shuns Mendoza’s hot-seat talks

No matter what you say, managing a baseball team is no piece of cake. Let alone managing in New York! It is a pretty thankless job. Look at Aaron Boone; he took the Yankees to the WS last season, the first of its kind since 2009—but does anyone care now? No, everyone is more worried about why the man isn’t holding his players accountable. And it’s the same for Carlos Mendoza, and no matter how good he has been, he has been under scrutiny.

Since the All-Star break, the team has stumbled, and Mendoza’s every decision has come under the microscope. But here is the thing: Mets president of baseball operations Stearns is not entertaining any Mendoza hot seat questions. On the Show podcast with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman again, he said, “Oh yeah, Mendy’s doing a great job. I think he’s the right person for this job.” The writing on the wall couldn’t be clearer—he is not going anywhere right now. And it’s not all that surprising.

Mendoza entered Tuesday with a .543 winning percentage. That’s the third-best mark of any New York Mets manager in history. Not shabby for a guy who is in his second year of the job, right? And at one point, the Mets did look great at the start of the year. But then, after a rough 7-13 stretch, they dropped six games behind the Phillies in the NL East. But they are still holding the third wild card spot with a small cushion over the Reds.

Now, of course, Mets fans know that the team has been a revolving door when it comes to managers. Plus, there is a pattern. Mickey Callaway, Luis Rojas, and Buck Showalter—all gone after two years or less. So what makes Mendoza any different from a case? For now, Stearns seems to have his manager’s back.