It sounds like Carlos Mendoza figured out the NY Mets locker room problem

The New York Mets locker room and its apparent toxicity or whatever you want to call it has been a topic for a few years. From 2021-2025, the losing seasons have called out the behind-the-scenes happenings as one of the reasons for the team’s failures.

It’s just a coincidence it’s those odd-numbered years when the team fails. In 2022 and 2024, they put together strong seasons with the former only leaving a sour taste because of how it ended so prematurely.

None of the players have actually publicly spilled tea as to what might have been wrong with the clubhouse in 2025. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza maybe didn’t know at the time, but his latest revelation does seem to share a more clued-in version of what the problem was.

Carlos Mendoza doesn’t think the Mets players celebrated each other enough

Celebrating each other can be weird and uncomfortable in certain settings. In sports, it’s what we all do from little league and upward. You’re a team. You should celebrate each other’s wins and grieve the losses.

The Mets were trying to move on from the 2024 season and we can understand why. It was a different team. They didn’t have two of their key players and locker room leaders around any longer. The OMG Mets from 2024 were a one-hit wonder. If they were going to keep that party going, they would’ve needed to have Jose Iglesias around and playing well. It was a lightning in a bottle type of situation with him.

We can see where Mendoza is coming from. The Home Run Chancla was a Hail Mary attempt by the Mets, led by Starling Marte, to celebrate each other a little more. They had the OMG sign in 2024. There was no symbol for the 2025 team and this was what they tried to do.

Juan Soto’s corporate-like approach to the game might’ve had things feeling a little more tense behind-the-scenes than they actually were. Everything we’ve heard about Soto is how he just wants to come to the ballpark and play. He’s not the outgoing person that Francisco Lindo is. As such a significant player on the team, it probably felt different when he walked into the locker room and knowing how to treat him might’ve made for some awkward tension especially when he was playing well at times and the team wasn’t and vice versa.

It seems like the Mets players and coaching staff might’ve just been thinking too much into their behavior with each other instead of letting things unfold naturally.

Mendoza spoke more about this recently at the Bo Bichette introduction. He seemed to take the club’s shortcomings personally, revealing a few things he’d like to do differently. Communication and defining roles with players seemed to be a priority.

The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one. Mendoza has crossed that bridge.