In his third season as skipper of the New York Mets, Carlos Mendoza might just find himself on the hot seat as April rolls on.
Despite the fact we are less than 20 games into a 162 game season, the Mets have dropped six straight ballgames to see their record diminish from 7-4 to 7-10.
New York started this losing streak with back to back home losses to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They then followed that up by being swept at Citi Field thanks to the Athletics.
Starting off a road swing on Monday, the Mets dropped game one of their series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-0.
They have now been shut out in back to back games.
Carlos Mendoza
After an 89 win season and a trip to the National League Championship Series in 2024, Carlos Mendoza was the king of Queens (no, not that one).
The Mets had exceeded expectations and with a newly signed Juan Soto, went into 2025 with aspirations of reaching the World Series for the first time since 2015.
However, New York collapsed after a hot start and saw a large divison lead crumble before them. They ended up 13 games back of the Phillies and missed out on the playoffs altogether.
Now with a six game losing streak ongoing and two more matchups with the reigning World Series champions, it feels like the conversation in Queens might start to get uncomfortable.
Overreaction or reality?
With a top payroll and the New York sports scene overlooking every move, the Mets are in a position where they need to make the postseason in 2026.
They still have plenty of time to accomplish that goal.
However, they cannot let a slow start remove them from the divison race before it even begins.
Last season, an 0-7 start for the Atlanta Braves sank their season, despite having 155 games to turn it around.
New York will play the Chicago Cubs to end their road trip before hosting the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, and Washington Nationals at home.
They then head back out west to play the Los Angeles Angels and the Rockies once more.
The Mets should win each of their next six series, as they are supposed to be far better than each opponent.
If they managed to do so, and steal a game in this Dodgers’ series, they could be looking at a 13-7 record over that span. This would bring them back to 20-20 on the season.
NL East
In that same span, the Mets will have to make sure their main competition in the NL East, the Philadelphia Phillies, do not separate from the pack.
Luckily for New York, Philly has gotten off to a very similar start in their own right, sitting at 8-8.
The Braves appear to be bouncing back after a lackluster 2025 and the Miami Marlins are building on last season’s momentum, staying in the race early on.
The battle for the divison title will come down to the wire. It will be up to New York and Mendoza to keep up.
If not, New York might be the first team in 2026 to make a managerial change.
Leave a Reply