Steve Cohen praises NY Mets manager Carlos Mendoza while also turning up the heat

Steve Cohen has done a lot of talking this week in preparation for the 2026 New York Mets season. After a 2025 campaign where he was mostly quiet outside of the Fab Four declaration mid-year, we didn’t hear a whole lot from the beloved owner.

Cohen’s interview with Howie Rose included plenty of talking points from his thoughts about Edwin Diaz to how he felt about going from Kyle Tucker to Bo Bichette. Anything Cohen says about the Mets is noteworthy.

While it’s Cohen’s declaration about how the Mets will never have a captain under his watch that made the largest headlines, a smaller tidbit was easier to overlook. From one side of his mouth, Cohen praised manager Carlos Mendoza. Out from the other side, he might have turned up the heat.

Steve Cohen basically told Carlos Mendoza he likes him but here’s your warning

It’s as much a playoff mandate as someone can put out there. Making it to the postseason is the bare minimum for the Mets this year. All fans should agree. When you’re spending as much money as he has, playing 164 games is the least they can do.

There’s no other way to describe Cohen’s reign as owner other than disappointing. In five seasons, the Mets have made the playoffs twice. It’s unacceptable and Cohen feels the same way.

It’s certainly not all on the shoulders of the manager, but after all of the personnel change on the roster, the only thing left to do is to move on from a skipper whose job security should come into question for no other reason than his contract expires after the 2026 season anyway.

Regular turnover within the front office and manager’s seat has been a trademark of the Cohen era. For a variety of reasons, managers and general managers haven’t stuck around. The transition from one regime to the other had people like Buck Showalter in the crosshairs. The timing of David Stearns’ departure from the Milwaukee Brewers as well as the failure of the 2023 team put the Mets in a weird spot where they let too many people linger around. Finally, heading into 2026, it feels like Stearns has something closer to the coaching staff and players he would like to have around.

When Stearns was hired by the Mets, he signed a five-year deal. He’ll get more road to figure it out while Mendoza goes into a lame duck season that should have his seat heating up with every game the Mets fall below .500. The Mets haven’t fired a manager midseason since Willie Randolph in 2008. Cohen’s vote of confidence in Mendoza isn’t a ringing endorsement of permanency, especially with a strong suggestion that the playoffs are a must.

Mendoza was spared from the wrath of how things played out in 2025. To avoid having an entirely new coaching staff, they kept Mendoza around while promoting others within and finding some external additions.

Earlier this month, I made a prediction about what would happen between Mendoza and the Mets. With every comment, it seems like the likeliest scenario is for a mutual parting of ways. It’s going to take an NL East crown and/or trip to the NLCS for Mendoza to get an extension. A playoff appearance doesn’t guarantee him safe passage. Not making it is what will guarantee he gets thrown overboard.

Mendoza must've taken note of Cohen's comments. He, too, has the same clear goal with the added step of not just settling for the playoffs.