On Monday, the New York Mets made it official with Carlos Mendoza, announcing he will become the 25th manager in franchise history. He signed a three-year, $4.5 million deal with a fourth-year option. A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday at noon.
In a brief statement, Mendoza noted, “he will pour every ounce of energy into this job and we share a common goal of bringing a championship to Queens.” Owner Steve Cohen said, “Carlos is full of energy, passion and it was easy to see he’ll have a great rapport with our players.” He will be just the second Venezuelan-born full-time manager in the MLB after Ozzie Guillen.
Mendoza previously spent the past 15 years coaching in the Yankees organization, working his way up to bench coach for Aaron Boone. He played in the minor leagues for 13 seasons after signing with the Giants as an undrafted free agent.
While the rumor mill swirled that Craig Counsell was a shoo-in to come to New York once David Stearns became the president of baseball operations, Mendoza nabbed the role instead. Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe and general manager Brian Cashman sang nothing but praise for Mendoza. Cashman went as far as to say, “he is the complete package.”
The Venezuelan-born manager joins an organization that has seen four managers in the last five years. Mets brass hopes he can break the spell and be the one to right the ship.
