Why Carlos Mendoza deserves a free pass in 2024

Newly minted New York Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza has a tall task in front of him as he enters his first season in a loaded National League East Division. In what many fans are considering a transition year for the Mets in 2024 after off-loading some key players at last year's trade deadline, it's fair to give Mendoza a free pass in 2024.

The Mets haven't made any major splashes to their roster at this point in the offseason after missing out on Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, much to the chagrin of many fans. While the Mets have a solid core of offensive players including Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil, their pitching will be a huge question mark for the team this season.

New York Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza should have a one-year grace period in his first season as manager.

With Closer Edwin Diaz coming off of major knee surgery, as well as many question marks in the bullpen behind him, as well as a pitching staff that is questionable behind Kodai Senga and José Quintana, it doesn't give Mendoza much of a fair shake after one season. Now granted there is a strong chance that Mendoza can work with what he has and make this team exceed expectations, but holding him solely accountable for any shortcomings this season would be unfair.

It seems that the entire organization is looking at 2025 as the year with larger aspirations, despite what the front office may be saying to the media about this upcoming season. Next year, the Mets will potentially have many of the top prospects they acquired at last year's trade deadline up at the big league level, and there is also the potential of the team entering the Juan Soto sweepstakes next winter as well to bring in another bonafide superstar.

This year I believe the Mets have enough offensive talent to compete for a playoff spot, but much will depend on how much the starting pitching holds up over the course of the season. I believe Carlos Mendoza will have a successful first year with the organization if they can develop some of the young talent they acquired last season at the Major League level, as well as play meaningful baseball games in September in a top-heavy division.

However, with all of this being said I believe Carlos Mendoza has a grace period for this season barring something catastrophic occurring, and I believe his job should be fully under the microscope by fans and the organization alike starting in 2025.