Steve Cohen Finally Speaks on Carlos Mendoza Firing. What He Said Might Surprise You.

The New York Mets made a move that felt inevitable. They fired manager Carlos Mendoza after a sixth straight loss dropped them to 34-47, dead last in the NL East. And for a minute, the silence from owner Steve Cohen was loud. But he finally broke it.

Cohen released a statement that hit a strange tone for a guy who just axed his skipper after 81 games. It wasn’t angry. It wasn’t defensive. It was almost … grateful.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to Carlos Mendoza for his leadership and unwavering commitment,” Cohen said. “He represented this organization with integrity and dedication throughout, and I wish him and his family all the best.”

Then came the part that stung a little more for Mets fans: “Our commitment to bringing our fans a championship-caliber team has not changed. There is no sugar coating it: this season has been a disappointment and our fans deserve better than what we’ve delivered.”

David Stearns Might Be Safe. For Now.

Mendoza was the fall guy. But around Queens, people know the roster has bigger problems. President of baseball operations David Stearns built this thing. And he built it badly.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic addressed the elephant in the room on Foul Territory TV. He pointed out that Stearns has made a lot of questionable calls for two years now. But Rosenthal also noted something important: Steve Cohen waited two years to hire Stearns away from Milwaukee. He’s not likely to fire him after one bad half-season.

“I don’t expect Steve Cohen is going to be too quick to fire David Stearns,” Rosenthal said. “All the reasons he wanted him, the good things that happened in Milwaukee, still are a part of his history … he’s a smart guy … the sport is not exactly teeming with GM types.”

That last part is key. There’s no endless line of elite baseball executives waiting for a call. And Cohen knows Stearns has a track record of building winners. The question is whether he gets enough time to do it again in New York.

For now, the Mets are stuck. They’re not good enough to make a run. But they’re not bad enough to blow it all up and start over. At least not yet. If Cohen wants to salvage anything from this season, he might need to make more changes. And soon. But the owner’s own words suggest he’s not panicking. He’s just disappointed. And that might be the most honest thing anyone in the organization has said all year.