Mets respond to historic collapse by purging coaching staff

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.