Things went horribly wrong for the New York Mets after boasting an MLB-best record of 45-24 on June 12. They went 38-55 over their final 93 games and missed the postseason. They tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the final National League wild-card spot at 83-79, but with Cincinnati holding the tiebreaker, New York failed to qualify for the playoffs. It was evident that the Mets, with the second-highest payroll in the game, needed to make changes in the offseason.
Owner Steve Cohen has begun making those changes by overhauling the coaching staff, excluding manager Carlos Mendoza, who will return next season.
Mets purge their coaching staff, but keep Carlos Mendoza
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Friday, the Mets are parting ways with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez and bench coach John Gibbons. Also included in the firings were third base coach Mike Sarbaugh and retiring catching instructor Glenn Sherlock.
It is a head-scratcher as to why the Mets would fire most of their coaching staff, but not let go of Mendoza, who is responsible for the decisions made on the field.
Missing the playoffs after the Mets spent a record $765M on slugger Juan Soto in the offseason should have cost Mendoza his job. However, with the collapse not all his fault, Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns felt he deserved another chance.
Injuries and failed signings hurt the Mets this season
While the Mets’ collapse can be attributed to poor play and a lack of timely hitting, they suffered from a fair share of injuries. Their pitching staff took the brunt of it, with injuries to Griffin Canning, Tylor Megill and Frankie Montas. New York then had to rely on inexperienced rookies, like Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat, down the stretch to lead them to the playoffs.
Not only was Montas hurt, but he wasn’t productive when healthy, pitching to a 3-2 record with a 6.28 ERA in nine starts. The two-year, $34 million deal the Mets signed him to in the offseason was no longer looking like a wise investment.
Injuries, along with a 4.03 ERA, which ranked ninth in the National League (4.03), 28 blown saves and the third-most walks in the NL (556), prevented the Mets’ offense from out-hitting their brutal pitching.
If New York is unable to improve after these changes and by adding reinforcements in the offseason, Mendoza could be the next coach to go in 2026.
