The Mets fired Carlos Mendoza after a sixth straight loss, which is what teams do when things spiral. But the question nobody’s quite sure how to answer is whether David Stearns should be next.
Ken Rosenthal threw some cold water on that idea though. He pointed out that Steve Cohen spent two years chasing Stearns before finally landing him in September 2023. Before that, Cohen burned through four lead executives in three years. So firing the guy he worked so hard to get? That would be an upset, according to Rosenthal.
Still, the payroll situation is getting hard to ignore. The Mets have the second highest payroll in baseball at $369 million. Cohen himself said during spring training that making the playoffs was the bare minimum. He added that missing two years in a row wouldn’t be good. The Mets are in that territory now, and honestly a little deeper than that.
How hot is the seat under Stearns?
It’s complicated. Stearns completely overhauled the roster and coaching staff this offseason. And it’s gone splat, as Rosenthal put it. That noise people talk about in New York markets? Stearns is hearing it now.
But here’s the thing about Cohen. He’s wealthy enough that Stearns’ $10 million salary through 2028 wouldn’t stop him from making a change. Money’s never been the issue. It’s more that Cohen doesn’t want to admit he made another mistake in the front office after all that searching.
The Mets have some time to turn things around before next season. If Stearns can find a way to get this team competitive again, he keeps his job. But if the losing continues, Cohen might have to make a decision he really doesn’t want to make. That would mean starting over yet again with someone new running baseball ops. And at some point, even the richest owner in the sport has to wonder if he’s the common denominator here.
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