Interim to Full-Time: Andy Green Has Potential to Manage Mets Beyond 2026

Don't be surprised if the 48-year-old is still New York's skipper when spring training rolls around.

Andy Green might have the interim tag attached to his job title, but that doesn't mean he can't be a long-term solution for the Mets. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The weekend is here, and Queens is buzzing.

The Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday morning before their weekend series with the Phillies, appointing interim manager Andy Green to lead the club for the rest of the season.

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— New York Mets (@Mets) June 26, 2026

Green first joined the Mets in 2024 and has served as the Senior Vice President of Player Development since. He'll have the final half-season to try and earn a longer look in the dugout with the organization.

Green was the Padres' manager from 2016 through 2019, but struggled to a .428 winning percentage during his tenure. He went on to bench coach the Cubs under former manager David Ross for three seasons before ultimately joining the Mets' front office. It will be his first time managing in almost seven seasons, and he is entering a toxic situation in Queens.

The Mets are 13 games under .500 and are currently playing some of the worst baseball of the season. Their defense committed nine errors in their series sweep at the hands of the Cubs, which seemingly prompted this change in leadership. Green will at least be entering with minimal expectations and no reason to believe they'll make the playoffs, giving him more runway to impress in this gig.

Andy Green could earn himself a long look as the Mets' next option at manager

Green's run with the Padres was not at all impressive, but neither were the rosters he was handed to work with during a competitive era in the National League West. In his second chance at managing, Green inherits a team that still has elite talent, a handful of top-100 prospects on the rosters (and others in the wings), and an impending youth movement.

Considering Green's background and success in player development, this feels like a very pointed and specific decision to go with him.

Green, a veteran manager with a background that should favor younger players, could be exactly the voice the Mets need to take off and end the season on a high note. His hire should bode well for the likes of A.J. Ewing, Carson Benge, Nolan McLean, and other young pieces who will determine if the Mets can contend again in 2027 or not. If this happens, Green could earn himself a long look at the full-time managerial spot.

Carson Benge is one young Met who might benefit from playing under Andy Green. | David Frerker-Imagn Images

The Mets must find a way to better develop their younger players on the Major League roster. They have been able to develop countless top-100 prospects in the 2020s, some of whom were traded for talent at the deadline, but few have developed into high-end talent. With the trio of names mentioned before now regulars in Queens, it is pivotal that the Mets help them reach their full potential.

There is some precedent for this happening in modern baseball, including the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Pirates. Don Kelly went 59-65 as the Pirates manager after Blake Shelton was fired, earned himself the full-time role, and now has his team fighting for a playoff spot at 41-40, their best mid-season mark in recent memory.

It is also worth noting that Green turns 49 on July 7, which could work in his favor. The Mets are probably looking for a manager with prior experience who can last in the position, so not close to retirement, and that could absolutely be the Lexington, KY native.

If his Mets team can show more promise this summer than they did in the first 81 games, Green might shed the interim tag and stick around for the long haul.