Carlos Mendoza getting fired shouldn’t come as a shock to the New York Mets’ fans. It was also discussed last year, after the Mers failed to secure a playoff spot despite splashing $765 million on Juan Soto. The front office retained him despite firing his coaching staff. But a 34-47 start this year couldn’t save Mendoza anymore. As a parting message, owner Steve Cohen did start with a “thank you” for Mendoza but ended the note with a blunt reality check for the clubhouse.

“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,” SNY Mets quoted Cohen. “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.”

The Mets signed Mendoza back in 2024. And entering the NLCS that year was the best number for now-former Mets manager so far. After failing to go beyond the NLCS in 2024, the Mets responded by signing Soto. They also made the team around Francisco Lindor. Result? The Mets finished the season with an 83-79 record and missed the Wild Card spot.

The Mets’ core was dismantled after 2025. Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil were released or traded. New faces entered like Freddy Peralta, Bo Bichette, and Marcus Semien. However, Mendoza failed to bring out the best from them. For instance, Bichette finished last year with a .311 average, but he is batting .254 this year. Peralta was the face of the Brewers’ rotation last year, finishing off with a 2.70 ERA, but this year, he is struggling with a 4.53 ERA.

“I’ve been saying it, it’s not early anymore — we’re not putting ourselves in a good position, obviously. We gotta go out and do it,” Carlos Mendoza said last month after recording 22-32. Fans and the front office demanded accountability, but only hopes for better numbers were received.

So, it was already predicted that the Mets’ front office may give up on Mendoza. Still, David Stearns’ public support saying, “We don’t view this as a manager problem, and we don’t intend to make a change,” made everyone think that Mendoza might stay this season. Nothing as such happened.

The Mets placed former Padres manager Andy Green as the interim manager in place of Mendoza. Although he had a record of guiding the Padres to a 274-366 standing during his time between 2016 and 2019, managing the Mets would be a bigger challenge, and firing the manager may not be the only solution.

The Mets need more than firing Mendoza

According to Cohen, “Mets fans deserve better,” and firing Mendoza will not offer a better product like a magic wand. Rather, Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer predicted this firing back in May.

“What if the question isn’t how much Mendoza is to blame for the Mets’ disastrous start, but whether the Mets have anything to lose by firing him? It really is the latter question that matters right now. The club’s odds of making the playoffs have already cratered, going from a high of 88.6 percent to just 27.7 percent at FanGraphs. A situation like that calls for a Hail Mary.”

So, more than these predicted moves, a more radical move is required to push the Mets through the postseason.

The Mets are currently ranked 26th in terms of average (.231) and 16th in terms of ERA (4.17), which sums up their struggle from both ends of the ball. The team needs more replenishments, and the best by this trade deadline could have been Tarik Skubal. Peralta is failing to lead the Mets’ rotation, and someone like the reigning Cy Young winner would be a better fit.

The Mets front office proved their desperation; now they need to make more such moves to make it a reality.