Carlos Mendoza: Energy on Mets, not job status amid struggles

NEW YORK -- Mets manager Carlos Mendoza reported to work Tuesday understanding the stakes.

He's heard the rampant speculation about his job status. He knows what happened to Alex Cora and Rob Thomson -- two widely respected managers who were fired over the last four days after their big-market, high-payroll Northeast clubs floundered to start the season -- could happen to him. And he is cognizant that his team must start winning in order for him to avoid joining them.

"It sucks, what happened to those two guys, guys that I consider [two] of the best of what they're doing, especially Thomson, one of my mentors," Mendoza said Tuesday before the Mets opened a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. "And you hate to see it happen, but you understand that it's the business, and when you don't see the results, you know, it happens.

"I'm aware of it. Not going to run away from it. But the one thing I can do is just continue to show up here and get the best out of my players. That's my responsibility, where I'm spending all my energy. But, obviously, I understand the whole situation."

The whole situation in Queens is ugly. The Mets have lost 15 of 17 games and share the worst record in baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies, who fired Thomson on Tuesday. They reached a new low Sunday when they dropped a doubleheader to conclude a three-game sweep by the Colorado Rockies, a club coming off a 119-loss season with zero postseason expectations.

The Mets mustered just one run in Sunday's 18 innings and four in the series as a whole. They've been held to two or fewer runs in 14 of their 28 games entering Tuesday. The offense ranks last in runs scored, OPS and wRC+. Injuries are piling up on top of the losses, too, with Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco and Kodai Senga on the injured list.

"You just got to keep it simple," Mendoza said. "Just going back to hitting fastballs. There's a reason why those guys are big-league hitters. They dominated pitchers like that throughout their careers and they're talented. So they just gotta go back to do what they've done well. And we'll continue to do so with those guys."

Mendoza, 46, is in his third season at the helm for the Mets. He was handpicked for the post by president of baseball operations David Stearns upon Stearns taking his job after the 2023 season, and he signed a three-year deal with a club option for the 2027 season. That option has not been exercised, making him a lame duck.

Mendoza said neither owner Steve Cohen nor Stearns has discussed his job status.

"With David, it's business as usual," Mendoza said. "With Steve, same. But I understand. But as of right now, we continue to take it business as usual."

Mendoza guided the Mets to an unexpected run to the National League Championship Series in 2024 after a dreadful start to the year. Last season, however, the Mets plummeted from the best record in the majors in mid-June to out of the postseason, losing on the final day of the regular season to fall short.

Stearns then overhauled the coaching staff around Mendoza before overhauling the roster, either trading or watching the franchise's longest-tenured players leave in free agency. The early returns on the changes are disastrous. Mendoza knows that needs to flip very soon.

"I believe in those guys," Mendoza said of his players. "I believe in those guys. And I will continue to do so. It's my job to get the best out of them. It's our job."