Jason Burgos
A fantastic replacement option for embattled New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is no longer available.
The start to the Mets’ 2026 campaign has been an absolute disaster. Heading into their series opener against the Washington Nationals tonight, they are tied for the worst record in all of baseball at 9-19. The club has hit rock bottom after a recent 12-game losing skid that will go down as one of the worst in team history.
Making matters worse is that this time a year ago, they owned the best record in baseball. That is, before they had a massive collapse late in the season under the watch of manager Carlos Mendoza. The skipper needed a fast start with this very expensive team to quiet the speculation about his job. Now, it seems like a matter of time before he is ousted.
Replacing a manager in-season is an extremely difficult task. However, last week the Boston Red Sox offered up a golden opportunity for the Mets when they surprisingly fired manager Alex Cora after a 10-17 start. Most in and around Boston feel their struggles are because of the team CBO Craig Breslow put together, not Cora’s coaching.
Alex Cora is no longer an option to be New York Mets’ Carlos Mendoza replacement
The Red Sox’s decision seemingly opened the door for the Mets to turn to the manager who has a World Series win (2018) and three trips to the playoffs on his resume. Unfortunately, Cora will no longer be an option for New York. At least not for the rest of the season.
“Alex Cora was offered the Philadelphia Phillies‘ managerial job before Don Mattingly, but declined,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports. “He has decided to spend time with his family.”
The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday after he led his team to an equally awful 9-19 start this season.
If Cora was unwilling to jump into taking the job for a talent-rich Phillies team, it seems highly unlikely he would take the same position with the Mets. While he could still end up as the next manager of either team, that won’t happen until after the season.
