The New York Mets are hiring Carlos Mendoza as their manager, according to multiple reports on Monday.
The 43-year-old has been a coach within the New York Yankees’ organization since 2009, spending the last four as a bench coach under Aaron Boone.
He became the Mets’ co-favorite for the managerial job in recent weeks alongside former Milwaukee Brewers skipper Craig Counsell, the long-perceived favorite for the gig after Buck Showalter was fired and David Stearns — Counsell’s former boss in Milwaukee — was introduced as the team’s first-ever president of baseball operations.Â
While there was speculation that Counsell might not manage in 2024 after nine seasons with the Brewers, which included five playoff berths in the last six years, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the 53-year-old will take over as manager of the Chicago Cubs.
With Counsell off the board, the Mets intensified all their focus on Mendoza, who in recent years also interviewed for managerial vacancies with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox.Â
Mendoza now inherits a team that is in flux given the front-office shakeup that came with Stearns’ arrival. General manager Billy Eppler stepped down days after the POBO’s introductory press conference in which he stated there would be an evaluation of the front office and coaching staff.Â
But the job is still one of the most attractive ones in Major League Baseball. Steve Cohen is expected to be a major player in free agency after a disappointing 75-87 season that prompted the team to sell off veteran assets like Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, David Robertson, and Tommy Pham. With it, though, they restocked their farm system with Top-100-caliber talent in Luisangel Acuna and Drew Gilbert.
This winter should feature pursuits of Japanese superstar ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the generational Shohei Ohtani — meaning Mendoza will be at the helm of a team with postseason aspirations immediately.
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