Mets president David Stearns defends Carlos Mendoza, says manager is not to blame for struggles
CHICAGO (AP) — New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns defended Carlos Mendoza, saying the manager is not to blame for the team's struggles. “I think Mendy’s doing a very good job," he said. "I think, Mendy is putting players in positions to succeed.
And we need to go out and play better. ” Stearns spoke prior to New York's game against the Chicago Cubs. The Mets then got pounded 12-4 in their ninth straight loss.
Mendoza, in his third season, has a 179-165 record. He guided the Mets to the National League Championship Series in 2024, but they faded last season and are not performing the way they hoped this year. New York is last in the NL East at 7-13 and on its worst skid since the 2004 team dropped 11 in a row.
The Mets have been outscored 56-16 during the slide, yet they remain optimistic that they can turn things around and start living up to their lofty expectations. “We haven’t hit. And when you don’t hit, you can look stagnant,” Stearns said.
“I don’t think we’re stagnant, I think we are playing hard. I think our guys are preparing, but I also understand even from my seat when you don’t hit, when there’s not a lot of action on the bases, when you can’t get the double with runners on base, you can feel stagnant and I recognize that. I’m also close enough to this on a daily basis to see what’s going on and to know that we’ve got a group that cares tremendously, is working hard.