After purchasing and acquiring Justin Verlander and Max Sherzer and other players, the Mets went into the 2023 season with a 70% chance of making the playoffs. Instead they finished 4th in the NL East. Many believe that Manager Buck Showalter did not provide the winning guidance the Mets needed to make their season successful.  As a result, he was fired.  In to replace him is former New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza.

Since Terry Collins resigned in October 2017, the Mets have struggled consistently in the dugout.  The team has gone through six managers in seven seasons, none of them lasting more than two years on the job. The Mets are hoping that the newly hired Mendoza can break that trend and give fans their first World Series title since 1986. 

Mendoza has been a Yankees bench coach for four seasons and will take over for the 67 year old Showalter who put on quite a show during the 2022 season, but flopped during 2023. Showalter had decades of experience. Time will tell how much of a departure in personality he will be.

As the 25th manager in Mets history, Mendoza’s charge will be to bring stability both to the dugout and the organization. Voices around baseball described Mendoza as friendly and affable, but also capable of levying discipline if the situation calls for it.

All Mets fans in NY have big expectations for Mendoza, and this is going to be a big challenge for a coach who has never managed before. Though Mendoza lacks experience, his time with the Yankees should have prepared him for this challenge and I see this as a great opportunity for the Mets and Mendoza.