No one who spoke about Carlos Mendoza’s firing at Citi Field on Friday seemed to believe it would change much for the 2026 Mets. David Stearns said he does not expect a switch to flip. Andy Green made clear he is under no illusion that his presence will transform them.
The consensus from those who spoke publicly and among members of the Mets organization who didn’t was that something had to change. They hope it will help. They also hoped they wouldn’t be here in the first place.
But because they are here, despite an offseason full of changes made to avoid a new version of the same old malaise, the path forward is not obvious: If getting back into contention will require total transformation, building a contender by 2027 will require another rigorous remodel.
Their starting pitching depth is not what they thought it was. Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. are no locks to contribute again this year, let alone next. And the stellar bullpen Stearns assembled is home to the assets most likely to bring back useful players at the deadline. If roster turnover delayed the blossoming of this 2026 team, Stearns and Co. will have to find better ways to navigate it next spring, because more turnover is the only thing that feels inevitable for the Mets at the moment.
There is so much unraveling and re-weaving to do, in fact, that Stearns on Friday completely brushed aside a question about what he might look for in his next full-time manager.
“I’m not going to speculate on that right now,” he said.
Who knows where this team will be by then and who will be on it. One could reasonably wonder about whether Stearns will even be the one making those decisions. Steve Cohen did say in spring training that making the playoffs was his minimum expectation for 2026.
Cohen pays attention to what people say about the Mets, and he is not single-minded. If there is a criticism levied at his baseball team, he usually hears it. And if it comes from someone he finds credible, he even entertains it. His mind can change.
But Stearns said Friday that he speaks to Cohen regularly and that “[Cohen] certainly indicated that I have his support.”
People familiar with Cohen’s thinking say that is true. After all, Cohen targeted Stearns for the position years in advance, in part with an eye on establishing a long-term plan and instituting stability. Cohen-as-owner does not have a Streinbrenner-esque history of reactionary decisions. And to someone taking a longer-term view, time can make even two bad seasons out of three look like aberrations – especially when injuries obscure the difference between a bad plan and bad luck.
As with Mendoza, who had Stearns’ public support as recently as last month, things can change. But if Stearns does get another year to validate Cohen’s faith, the next few weeks will be pivotal.
He said Friday he is “not thinking about the trade deadline at all” right now, and when asked if he is still trying to engineer a turnaround in 2026, he said, “we’re not turning the page.”
“We all remain very focused on doing everything we can to win as many games this year, while recognizing where we are in the standings,” he said.
Where they are in the standings is near the bottom, and if that does not change between now and the All-Star break, history suggests Cohen will allow Stearns to act rationally and trade current assets for future help.
But while many teams that are forced to sell hunt prospects in return, the Mets need more immediate help. While he is showing patience with Stearns, Cohen does not sound like someone willing to endure another long retreat. Given the amount of money they have committed to stars like Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, and Bo Bichette, the uncertainty posed by an offseason likely to include a lengthy lockout, and their many pitching needs, they likely need the deadline to bring them help for 2027, not 2030.
Then again, maybe a new voice will help. Maybe – as Green suggested while explaining that he wished it had not come to this – removing the concern about their manager’s job status will allow Mets players to play more freely. After an embarrassing week in an embarrassing season, Cohen and Stearns decided it was worth a try. Yet if there is anything they know after their first three seasons together, it is that turning the Mets into a contender is never as easy as it seems.
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