Insider Predicts When the Mets Would Consider a Coaching Change

After finishing the 2025 season with a brutal collapse that saw them slide out of the playoff picture at the last moment, the 2026 New York Mets have picked up right where they left off.

Sitting at 7-12 sporting an eight-game losing streak, the results through the first 19 games have been underwhelming to say the least. The offense has been anemic during this stretch. Mental lapses have given way to defensive miscues that give opponents extra opportunities to make pitchers pay. There is a revolving door of injuries, and the rotation still seems to lack the firepower needed to shut down elite teams.

Does any of this sound familiar? Well, believe it or not, these are not the 2025 Mets. Rather, this is a roster that was completely reconstructed following last year's implosion, as David Stearns made a concerted effort to shape a new identity, moving on from many of the franchise staples that had never been able to reach the heights of a World Series.

This was reflected on Opening Day when New York trotted out a lineup that features just three of the same players as last year in Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Brett Baty. But it went beyond players, as the Mets gutted most of their coaching staff too, hiring new hitting, pitching, and bench coaches. Still standing after the overhaul though was manager Carlos Mendoza, who the club put their trust in to lead the clubhouse for a third season.

With so many changes in just one offseason, it's easy to point at the few constants to source out any blame. While it's common for a manager to be under fire when a team is struggling, this dynamic has turned the heat up even more on Mendoza. But with the season so young and the brand-new roster still looking to gel together and find their footing, the Mets would certainly be taking a big risk if they made a change at the top.

"We're not playing good baseball right now. Everybody's frustrated."

Carlos Mendoza talks about his concern level with the Mets' struggles as their losing streak hits eight: pic.twitter.com/WPzPHr6MCc
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 16, 2026

Insider Provides Potential Timeline for Mets to Make Manager Change

According to reports from Will Sammon of The Athletic, there is absolutely no indication that the organization is looking to move on from Mendoza yet. After yet another loss on Wednesday night, this reporting was referenced and confirmed by Sammon's colleague Ken Rosenthal, who took to the Foul Territory podcast to explain that it is "just too early" to place the blame on Mendoza.

Rosenthal did say, however, that it is "somewhat understandable" that there is discourse surrounding the Mets firing their manager given the fact that they are coming off of such a disappointing season that resulted in many changes throughout the coaching staff.

"They changed a lot of his coaches, and when that happens, the manager generally is next," Rosenthal said.

As @WillSammon wrote, the Mets early-season struggles aren't on Carlos Mendoza.

"For anyone to turn on him at this point, it's just too early," says @Ken_Rosenthal. pic.twitter.com/m5Vl8EoYTb
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) April 16, 2026

The resounding narrative coming from Rosenthal's statement was that fans need to pump the breaks on blaming Mendoza for this start, considering how early it is and the fact that he is dealing with a completely new roster that is currently without their best player. However, he did make an interesting point that could offer some insight into when the deadline could be for Mendoza to start seeing some positive results.

"You have to see how this team settles in," Rosenthal said. "If, at the end of May, they're still kind of playing in this funk that they have been in, and they haven't ignited, then maybe you look at the manager and you think, 'Okay maybe we just need a new energy.'"

Rosenthal continued to lay out all the reasons why it's too early to expect the Mets to make a move like this, but it is one of the first times we have heard a top insider provide a potential timeline for the decision. That is to say, even if Mendoza isn't being looked at as the person to blame within the organization just yet, his seat is certainly starting to warm in the eyes of the fans and some members of the media.

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