Ex-Mets Manager Joins Division Rivals' Coaching Staff

New York Mets fans will be seeing a familiar face in 2027, as the Philadelphia Phillies have brought in Carlos Mendoza to join the staff of now-permanent manager Don Mattingly. Mendoza served as the Mets’ manager from 2024 until the midway point of 2026.

Mendoza’s tenure in New York was never a smooth ride, and now, he’s joining forces with one of the Mets’ biggest rivals. He joins a Phillies team that had an early exit from the postseason after losing to the Braves in three games at the start of the month. The former Mets manager will now be the infield and third base coach to kick off the Mattingly era in Philadelphia.

Mets’ President of Baseball Operations David Stearns let go of Mendoza after just 81 games this season due to the club’s 34-47 record at the time, despite having the highest payroll in the game. New York entered the season as serious postseason contenders, but at the time of Mendoza’s firing, the Mets were last place in the NL East and 15 games back from the division-leading Atlanta Braves.

New York brought in Mendoza for the 2024 campaign after a hugely disappointing 75-87 season under Buck Showalter. The Mendoza era started as a huge success, increasing the team’s win total by 14 games in his first year as the skipper and leading the Mets to the NLCS in the process.

Coming just two games away from the World Series the prior season, the 2025 Mets had major expectations under Mendoza. By the middle of June, things were going as planned, as they were 20 games over .500 and had the best record in the National League.

Then, New York went through a horrendous stretch that would see them lose first place in the division for good by August 3. By September 21, the Mets had fallen out of a postseason position entirely with an 80-76 record. Still, they had a chance to punch a ticket in their final game against the Miami Marlins with a win. That win never came, though, finalizing one of the biggest collapses in league history.

After such an embarrassment, the Mets were desperate to clear the collective memory of baseball fans. An aggressive offseason ensued, and the Mets looked to be a postseason lock. More disappointment would come, however, as 2026 was only a continuation of subpar performance.

Mendoza’s Mets suffered the longest losing streak in franchise history in April by dropping 12 consecutive games. By the end of the skid, the Mets had stamped their place at the bottom of baseball’s standings.

New York couldn’t right the ship under Mendoza, finally calling it quits on the manager at the exact halfway point of the year. Interim manager Andy Green led the Mets to a 40-41 record in the second half compared to Mendoza’s 34-47 record in the first.

Many Mets fans have already seen more of Mendoza than they would’ve wanted, but now they'll be forced to see him in a division rival’s uniform. We’ll see who gets the last laugh by this time next season.