The New York Mets spent $334 million on their team this year. Fans expected them to go straight to the World Series. They added huge stars like Juan Soto and Bo Bichette to join Marcus Semien. The team looked impossible to beat. Instead, the season has been a total disaster. The Mets are in last place in the National League East with a bad 26-35 record. Because of this, angry fans want manager Carlos Mendoza fired.

Mendoza recently spoke on a baseball podcast with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman. When asked if he was worried about his job, the manager gave a very honest answer.

“I understand the situation. I know where I’m at,” Mendoza said. “I spend all my energy day in and day out to be the best version of myself… things that are in my control… whatever happens, that’s out of my hands.”

The disappointing start started rumors of manager Carlos Mendoza’s future with the team. Ken Rosenthal even named replacements like Carlos Beltran, who could take over the Mets from Mendoza.

And Mendoza didn’t deny any of this. He said, “When you’re managing a team with high expectations, big payroll, and not having the results… a couple of weeks ago, when the seat was hot.”

The pressure is high because other bad teams are already firing their managers. For example, the Boston Red Sox just fired Alex Cora. But Mendoza says he is only focused on what he can control. He just wants to lead his players and help them communicate better in the locker room.

He explained that leadership, communication, and helping the players improve are in his hands, and he does that to the best of his ability every day.

But Mendoza also said, “I also understand that this is a business.” And that is the problem for Carlos Mendoza. Baseball is a result-oriented sport, and when the team plays sloppy baseball and looks lost on the field.

Against the Mariners, Marcus Semien and Mark Vientos made errors on consecutive plays, and that turned a tied game into an 8-3 Mariners’ win. These mistakes have become impossible to ignore for Mendoza. He recently called out players for being “sloppy” on the field. Semien and Vientos are the perfect examples of what is wrong with the Mets.

Marcus Semien is getting paid $26 million a season, but he has done nothing to justify the price tag. The infielder has hit .225 with 6 homers, but his OPS .612 and one of the worst in the league for a regular team player. And his glove hasn’t been any better as Semien has two errors; he committed two errors in the whole of 2025.

And Mark Vientos was supposed to be a Pete Alonso replacement. Vientos has hit 7 homers with an average of .219. While Pete Alonso with the Orioles is doing solidly with 12 homers and an average of .241.And the missing power shows because the Mets have hit just 61 homers while the Orioles have hit 70.

And another major drop is the signing of Bo Bichette. People knew that he would struggle for some time before settling in, but nobody knew it would be this bad. Carlos Mendoza said, “Bo is a really good hitter,” and points to how he is hitting hard balls in batting practice, but the same is not happening on the field.

With a salary of $42 million, Bichette was expected to be one of the cornerstones for this team. He is hitting with an average of .213 with just five homers. He has struggled to show impact in many important situations, like against the Nationals, where he made a throwing error, and the Nationals scored two runs.

Yet Mendoza continues showing confidence in the team and the players. He said, “We got talent. Yeah, we’re dealing with injuries, but that’s not an excuse. I truly believe that we’ll turn this thing around.”

And with that, Mendoza said that he is hopeful of the Mets making the postseason, because according to him, Juan Soto is the key. Back in 2024, the Mets were in much worse shape with a 22-33 record in June, but they were able to make it to the NLCS.

But this can only happen if the Mets decide to take some action and make some changes to the team. Carlos Mendoza summed up the challenge simply: “We’ve got to start playing better.”

And that is where the New York Mets will be looking to make changes.

The Mets might have to make these moves if they want to save the season

The New York Mets entered 2026 believing they had assembled a roster capable of competing deep into October. Instead, they sit at 26-35 despite having the 8th-best ERA in the league. And Monday’s 3-2 extra-inning loss is the exact definition of how the season has gone for the Mets. The Mets managed to get just 2 hits in the whole game, and with the trade deadline inching closer, the Mets are getting ready to make some changes.

If the Mets do make changes, David Peterson could be among the names drawing interest. Peterson earned an All-Star selection in 2025 and looked set, but his form slipped in the second half of 2025. And he is still struggling in 2026 with an ERA of 5.18 in 13 starts. His rotation has been going down with every start, but it looks like Peterson might be looking at a change of role. As a reliever, Peterson has posted a 1.88 ERA in six starts. Since his contract ends soon, trading him to a winning team makes perfect sense for New York.

Another veteran who could attract attention is Brooks Raley. Raley has an ERA of 1.61 in 25 appearances despite the blown save on Monday. Since the beginning of 2023, he has recorded an ERA of  2.30 in 129 bullpen appearances for the Mets.

His ability to retire both left-handed and right-handed hitters makes him valuable, especially for contenders like the Blue Jays, who are looking to turn the season around. Although very unlikely, Bo Bichette is another player the Mets would likely explore moving. His batting has taken a major hit after he came to New York, and although Mendoza is confident in Bichette, it won’t last forever. And that is exactly the reason why this move is very unlikely.

Bichette is not only bad offensively, but the Mets gave him a massive contract over the offseason, and there are not many teams that will agree to eat the contract. And none of the teams that could pay for him have the need for him.