The elephant in the NY Mets dugout making any Carlos Mendoza decision difficult

Any manager presiding over a 12-game losing streak will begin to feel their seat warming up, and New York Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza is no different. But Mendoza's expiring contract gives the Mets less reason to fire him in the middle of the season.

That said, the Mets are an absolute mess right now, continuing their disappointing descent since 2024. This was never the plan for Mendoza's three-year deal, especially after the Mets reached the NLCS in Mendy's first season at the helm. Following that magical run, many speculated that Mendoza would be in line for an extension soon. But that speculation operated under the assumption that the Mets would continue their winning ways under Mendoza. They have not.

Carlos Mendoza wasn't able to find sustained success past 2024, but the Mets might as well ride his contract out

An underwhelming 2025 season for the Mets (capped off by missing the playoffs) tossed aside all thoughts of a Mendoza extension, and the Mets' front office replaced virtually Mendoza's entire staff following the campaign. Amid harsh outside criticism, Mendoza himself was retained. Why?

One theory is that the Mets' front office knew it had a convenient out on Mendoza following the 2026 season, convincing them that it wouldn't be worth the trouble to find his replacement before then. Though David Stearns has been supportive of Mendoza in the media -- even through this losing streak -- there are plenty of reasons to believe that Stearns, perhaps in tandem with owner Steve Cohen, have already planned to hire someone else upon Mendoza's deal expiring this coming fall.

In essence, Mendoza is on a lame duck contract. If the Mets were 19-4 right now, would Stearns and Cohen be thinking something else entirely -- that maybe Mendoza does deserve an extension, after all (or at least the activation of his 2027 club option)? Sure. And that potential outcome was part of the Mets' plan to give Mendoza one more year to ride this thing out. The front office saw what happened in '24 under Mendoza's watch and must not have completely ruled out another run towards the World Series in 2026.

More realistically, that same front office probably assumed this year's Mets wouldn't accomplish enough to warrant bringing back Mendoza beyond 2026. Keeping Mendy in place as a lame duck for his last season was the best way to account for all outcomes.

Mets avoided a problematic Carlos Mendoza extension, but it resulted in a lost season (or two)

What wouldn't be ideal for the Mets is if they'd extended Mendoza and we're now witnessing this monstrosity of a losing streak, a streak that has more or less spoiled the Mets' season already. While there is an elephant in the Mets' dugout from here on out -- Mendoza's imminent departure -- this was how it was always going to go.

Barring a miracle, Mendoza's time at the helm of the Mets will end up being a three-year stint that started with promise but descended into more complicated, darker depths following October 2024.

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