Opinion: All Eyes Now On Stearns Following Mendoza Firing

I firmly believe in the notion that two things can be right at the same time. And I think that applies to the current situation with the New York Mets right now.

Therefore, while it was probably the right decision to fire manager Carlos Mendoza, it is also right that Mendoza wasn’t the main culprit for the current mess.

Furthermore, you can make a case that Mendoza should have lost his job a lot earlier. But you can also argue that more accountability is needed from this franchise.

Mendoza clearly deserves some of the blame for the Mets being where they are. He oversaw last season’s monumental collapse. Then, this season, he’s presided over a team that has failed to adapt and adjust on the fly. We’ve seen the same lackadaisical errors night after night after night. At some point, the blame for that has to fall on the coaching staff.

It became clear after an embarrassing four-game sweep by the Chicago Cubs that change was needed more than ever. While he’s clearly respected in the clubhouse and within the organization, his presence and leadership weren’t leading to any tangible signs of improvement. In fact, things were getting worse.

Mendoza just had to go. And you could make a compelling argument that this change should have come much sooner.

All Eyes On Stearns

However, with all of that said, firing Mendoza alone may not be enough.

After all, president of baseball operations David Stearns is the one directly responsible for constructing a roster that is seemingly fatally flawed.

Granted, let’s not skip over the impact injuries have had this year. And let’s also not give the players a free pass. They are the ones who have failed to execute on the field. They are the ones who have not performed to the back of their baseball cards.

Still, the buck ultimately stops with Stearns. He failed to learn from his mistakes in 2025, not doing nearly enough to strengthen a clear weakness in the starting pitching. Acquiring Freddy Peralta alone apparently wasn’t nearly enough given the slew of question marks in the rotation. Stearns also spent a large part of the offseason preaching about improving run prevention, which according to defensive runs saved, he has done. However, by jettisoning Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo to do so, the offense has bottomed out.

Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. have combined to play just 38 games all year. Marcus Semien, who was already a fading force offensively, has seen his defensive skills diminish too. To cap it off, Bo Bichette has underperformed greatly.

What Now?

To hammer the point home, the Mets are 72-102 since June 12, 2025. While Mendoza and the players take some of the blame for that, it is Stearns who is ultimately the architect of that run.

What happens now remains to be seen.

If the players continue to fail at even the most fundamental basics, then the pressure on Stearns will only increase. His seat will only get warmer if he fails to execute the right strategy at the trade deadline. And the calls for Stearns’ head will only increase in volume if we see no improvement from this team the rest of the way.

With Mendoza gone, there is nobody else left to blame. And, if Stearns can’t fix the mess he created, then he may be next out of the door. And, if things don’t change, and soon, then that would probably be the fair and right decision.