Mets fire Carlos Mendoza after rough first half of season

The Mets fired Carlos Mendoza on Friday and replaced him with Andy Green after a 34-47 start left the club 15 games behind Atlanta and 9 1/2 games out of the National League’s last wild-card berth. The move came at the midpoint of a season that had already included a six-game losing streak.

Owner Steve Cohen said, “There is no sugar-coating it: This season has been a disappointment and our fans deserve better than what we’ve delivered.” The Mets opened with a $358 million payroll and a projected $124 million luxury-tax bill, then lost time to injuries involving Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr., Clay Holmes and Jorge Polanco while they dealt David Peterson to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.

Mendoza’s dismissal ended a run that began after the 2023 season, when the Mets hired him to replace Buck Showalter. New York reached the National League Championship Series in 2024, missed the playoffs last year and fell to 206-199 under Mendoza, whose record since the club’s 45-25 start last season slid to 72-101.

In the clubhouse, Francisco Lindor put the responsibility on the players, saying, “We failed Mendy. I failed Mendy.” David Stearns said the change was necessary because the Mets had backed Mendoza but still had not turned the season around, then turned to Green, the former Padres manager and the organization’s vice president of player development, to finish the year. That same night at Citi Field, Pride Night festivities included DJs, in-game entertainment, a free pregame party at Willets Point Brewery, a sleeveless jersey giveaway for the first 15,000 fans and postgame fireworks, while Mr. Met danced in Pride Night attire behind a reporter in a clip.