During the offseason, the New York Mets are shaking up the coaching staff by bringing in new faces and making promotions. Manager Carlos Mendoza called the decision-making process the toughest days of his career, according to Foul Territory.
“I'm not going to lie, they were probably the toughest days of my professional career,” he said.
"I'm not going to lie they were probably the toughest days of my professional career."
Carlos Mendoza talks about the coaching staff decisions he had to make after the season ended. pic.twitter.com/JySGVi15t5
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 23, 2026
They promoted left-handed hitting coach Rafael Fernandez to the assistant hitting coach position. Additionally, Troy Sniker was named hitting coach, and Justin Willard is the pitching coach. Plus, Dan McKinney was named the assistant pitching coach, and J.P. Arencibia is the catching coach.
Also, Gilbert Gomez has been named the first base and outfield coach, and Tim Leiper is the third base/infield coach. Jeff Albert was promoted from hitting development director to the team's hitting program director. Meanwhile, the Mets are coming off an 83-79 season in which they missed the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Mendoza is set to begin his third year as the Mets' manager. In Nov. 2023, he signed a three-year deal with a club option in 2027. Nevertheless, Mendoza was brought back as manager even though the Mets missed the playoffs.
In 2024, Mendoza turned the team around from a below .500 team the year before. In fact, he led them to a 28-16 record in one-run games. Eventually, Mendoza led the Mets to the NCLS before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This performance earned him third place in the National League Manager of the Year voting.
Overall, Mendoza has achieved a .531 winning percentage, which ranks him 5th among all managers in franchise history.
