Carlos Mendoza, who spent the past four seasons as the Yankees’ bench coach, was hired by the Mets on Monday to fill their managerial vacancy, ending the search for Buck Showalter’s replacement, according to major league sources. Mets hire Carlos Mendoza as new manager after pressure from Craig Counsell
Mets hire Carlos Mendoza as new manager after pressure from Craig Counsell
The appointment follows the courtship of Craig Counsell, who surprised the baseball world on Monday by accepting a five-year, $40 million contract from the Cubs, who fired David Ross to hire the former Brewers manager.
New contract
Council’s new contract is a record for an MLB manager.
According to an industry source, Counsell received a significantly lower offer from the Mets.
Counsel did not even give the Mets a chance to match the offer they received from the Cubs.
Mendoza, 43, also interviewed for managerial vacancies with the Guardians and Padres.
He spent the last 15 seasons with the Yankees in various roles.
He joined the Yankees’ major league staff as the team’s infield instructor in 2017 and has an extensive background in player development – he is considered an asset as the Mets try to build the organization through their farm system. .
As a player, Mendoza, a native of Venezuela, spent 10 seasons in the minor leagues with the Giants and Yankees and reached Triple-A with both organizations.
Mets manager with Yankees coaching ties
Mendoza will be the latest Mets manager with Yankees coaching ties.
In addition to Showalter, who spent four seasons as the Yankees manager in the 1990s, the Mets hired Willie Randolph from the Yankees coaching staff in 2005.
Dallas Green, Yogi Berra and Casey Stengel all managed the Mets after stints in the Yankees dugout.
Showalter was fired by the Mets on the final weekend of the regular season, giving new president of baseball operations David Stearns the right to choose his manager.
Contract Expiry
The Mets were allowed to speak with Counsel before his Brewers contract expired on October 31, but they also had a candidate list that included former Padres manager Andy Greene and Athletics manager Mark Kotsey.
Stearns oversaw Milwaukee’s front office during most of Council’s managerial tenure and had a strong belief within the industry that the relationships and owner Steve Cohen’s deep pockets would bring reunification to Queens.
But the Cubs gave Counsell the opportunity to stay close to his Midwest roots while managing another big-market team with deep resources.
With a manager selected, the Mets can begin building a coaching staff.
The team is expected to look for a bench coach with previous major league management experience to complement rookie Mendoza.
Possibility
Possibilities could include Phil Nevin, Gabe Kapler, Ross and Andy Green (should he not be retained by the Cubs after Counsell’s hiring).
Eric Chavez, who served as the Mets bench coach last season, is under contract for one more year and could be reassigned if he does not land another job.
Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner has two years remaining on his contract and his chances of returning may be strong given his reputation in the game and the fact that Mendoza is a first-time manager who has not previously had his own pitching coach.
Appointment
A club looking for a new pitching coach recently contacted the Mets to talk to Heffner, but Heffner told Mets brass he planned to wait until his fate was decided by the new managerial appointment. But the decision is not made before he potentially looks for another job.
Others Mendoza and Stearns will have to make decisions about under contract include hitting coach Jeremy Barnes, assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske and catching instructor Glenn Sherlock.
