Mets Give Mendoza His Marching Orders; Name Ex-Padres Skipper Green Interim Manager

Exactly halfway through the 2026 MLB season, the New York Mets have parted ways with manager Carlos Mendoza. Andy Green, who managed the San Diego Padres from 2016 through most of the 2019 season, has been named interim manager for the rest of the year.

The Mets began today 34-47 amid a six-game losing streak and have already lost their first game under Green. Both the Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies began the season with a record of 9-19. On April 28th, the Phillies dismissed Rob Thomson in favor of Don Mattingly. Under Donnie Baseball, the Phillies have gone 37-17. They are the top seed in the NL Wild Card race and are only 3½ games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

From April 28th through June 18th, the Mets treaded water going 25-22 before dropping back-to-back games to the Phillies and being swept in a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs which precipitated Mendoza's firing. Back on April 18th, I reflected on Mendoza's job status after the Mets had lost 10 in a row in what would ultimately be a 12-game losing streak:

For starters, the Mets have the second highest payroll in MLB. This means the Mets are expected to win and to win now.

Let us also consider Mendoza himself. Hired prior to the 2024 season on a three-year deal with a club option for 2027, the Mets would earn a NL Wild Card berth and reach the NLCS falling to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. But then there was last year. Things were looking very good for the Mets. In mid-June, the Mets had the best record in MLB with a 45-24 and had a 5½ game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The Mets were not so amazin' going 38-55 the rest of the way. As Mets announcer Gary Cohen put it at the time, "And the Mets agonizing, three-and-a-half-month, slow-motion collapse, is complete."

This collapse has now lasted more than a year. Fittingly enough, it began on Friday the 13th beginning a 7-game losing streak going 3-13 for the rest of the month and it hasn't got much better since.

Unless, the Mets go on a Knicks-like surge, Andy Green will be a short-term solution to get the team to the finish line. During his near four-year stint in San Diego, the Padres never finished better than 4th place as the Los Angeles Dodgers began their dominance of the NL West. I'm not sure if even Danhausen could uncurse the Mets at this stage.