NEW YORK, NY — The beginning to the 2026 MLB regular season in Queens was not the start the Mets had intended for as the Amazin’ sit 13-22 after 35 games played.
Despite the Mets being a disaster area which was worthy of FEMA assistance the first month of the 2026 season, Mets President of Baseball Operations, David Stearns, told the media on Friday that manager Carlos Mendoza would be keeping his job.
The “Mendoza watch” was intensifying after both the Phillies and the Red Sox had dismissed their skippers after disappointing starts.
Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
While Mendoza, like all baseball managers, has made his share of mistakes, he is the least culpable for the Mets morass. Last Tuesday, New York Post veteran baseball columnist Jon Heyman asked one of the most memorable questions I have ever heard at a pregame press conference. “Sorry to be blunt, but have you considered the possibility this isn’t a very good team?” Mendoza seemed momentarily stunned and then said that he believed in his players.
You can be sure David Stearns heard Heyman’s spot-on query to Mendoza, as he did relief pitcher Luke Weaver’s comments following a heartbreaking Thursday matinee 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. Weaver, who surrendered the game-losing two-run homer to the Nats’ CJ Abrams, was asked about why the Mets were playing such bad baseball. “We are trying too hard to be perfect,” he replied.
Weaver was admitting the players were pressing because they were trying to save their manager’s job and were well-aware of what happened in Boston and Philadelphia. Stearns understood Mendoza’s job status had to be addressed immediately.
A key reason the Mets have struggled has been the poor performance of starting pitchers David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga. After yet another disastrous start, the Mets placed Kodai Senga on the injured list because of inflammation between the L4 and L5 ligaments in the spine.
The last time I heard about L4 and L5 issues relating to a Met was David Wright, who had to prematurely retire in 2018. While Senga has not been diagnosed with spinal stenosis the way Wright was, it will not surprise me if the Mets try to buy out his contract if he agrees to retire.
Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
The Mets could then try to recoup the remainder of his contract from their insurance underwriters.
Giancarlo Stanton sidelined with calf injury
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is following in the footsteps of Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor as he too has incurred a calf injury requiring placement on the injured list.
Alonso’s Return to New York as an Oriole
Pete Alonso was in good spirits on his return to New York last Friday when the Orioles played the Yankees. I asked him if he liked crab cake, and whether he visited Phillips Seafood restaurant. “Yes, to both questions, but Jimmy’s Famous is better!”
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
I then told him I speak on behalf of most of Queens saying we miss seeing him in Flushing, but not as much as the Mets team store does. “That’s a good one!” he chuckled.
Chatting with Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni
I chatted with Washington Nationals President of Baseball Operations, 36-year-old Paul Toboni during the team’s visit to Citi Field last week. Toboni is not only the youngest person in baseball to hold that lofty title, but he is the only one who has a master’s degree in business administration. It should be noted that Sam Fuld, who played eight seasons in the majors, is enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business where he is earning his MBA. Fuld is likely to succeed Dave Dombrowski as Phillies president in the future.
Toboni told me he expects more baseball executives to possess MBA degrees because of the markedly increased cash flows in professional sports. “Yes, I have to calculate the present value of contract annuities and engage in cost-benefit analyses the way I was taught at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.”
James Wood robs Juan Soto of a first inning home run
Nationals star 6″6″ outfielder James Wood, who took a home run away from Juan Soto by perfectly timing a jump on his long fly ball last Thursday, grew up in the DC area.
I asked him if playing in his hometown was a distraction, and if his mom wanted him to stop by for dinner either before or after games. “No. I enjoy playing here. I live too far from my parents to stop by on game days,” he replied. He also told me he has not yet met NBA superstar Kevin Durant who also grew up in the Beltway area.
Five-Borough Mascot Race in Queens and Presidents Race Game in DC
The Five-Borough Mascot Race, which takes place between frames of the third inning, started in 2025. It was modeled after the Nationals’ presidents race game. Just as the Bronx giraffe never wins the race, which is clearly a light jab at the Yankees, Teddy Roosevelt never wins the presidential mascot race in Nationals Park. “TR loved football, but despised baseball. That’s why he never wins this race,” a Nationals media relations person told me.
Islanders take part in fun at 63rd Drive Street Fair
The New York Islanders are wisely expanding their marketing efforts into Queens as evidenced by them taking out a booth at Saturday’s 63rd Drive street fair. The conventional wisdom is that Queens is Rangers territory, but the geographical reality is the Isles’ home, the UBS Arena at Belmont Park is closer to most parts of our borough than Madison Square Garden is.
Image Credit: UBS Arena
The Brooklyn Nets should be following the Islanders’ lead, and compete for fans in the World’s Borough, but they show no inclination to do anything outside of Kings County. That is either being lazy or tone deaf, considering Queens shares a lengthy border with Brooklyn, and we have over two million people living here. Granted, Queens is Knicks territory because (1) they are a legacy NBA team, and (2) they are a far more talented team than the woeful Nets. Nevertheless, things can change over the course of time if you put in the work.
Totally Tubular Festival set for August 8th in Atlantic City
Applying the formula for the popular Happy Together Tours, which packages a group of artists who had big hits from the 1960s and have them perform around the country during summers, comes the Totally Tubular Festival which does the same for artists from the 1980s. Among the artists who will be on the bill saluting the glory days of MTV are Thomas Dolby, the Motels, Animotion, A Flock of Seagulls, the Escape Club, and Tommy Tutone. The Totally Tubular Festival will be at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on August 8, and the following day at Pier 17 in lower Manhattan.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
