New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza appears to making the switch across town as the Mets are reportedly hiring him as manager.
The Mets have been searching for a new manager since firing Buck Showalter at the beginning of last month and appear to be closing on announcing the veteran skipper’s replacement.
And despite reports that the Mets were targeting Craig Counsell, the organization is hiring Mendoza as their new manager, according to ESPN.
The 43-year-old is reportedly switching the Bronx for Queens after 15 years with the Yankees across multiple roles.
He managed in the low minor leagues in 2011-12, before most recently spending the last four seasons as Aaron Boone’s bench coach.
New York Mets have reportedly hired Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as new manager
The Mets are looking to replace Buck Showalter who was fired at the beginning of October
Counsell was viewed as the favorite for the role as he has a strong working relationship with Mets baseball president David Stearns, who was appointed in October after working alongside Counsell in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Counsell and his wife Michelle reportedly love New York.
But the Mets opted for a lower profile hire in Mendoza after he impressed in interviews, the report adds. The two sides agreed to terms on Monday.
Counsell was also thought to have been in the mix for the Guardians position but Cleveland announced it had appointed Stephen Vogt as manager on Monday afternoon.
Counsell’s contract with Milwaukee expired last week, but the Brewers were allowing him to look elsewhere while also hoping they can re-sign the coveted manager.
Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio has said on multiple occasions the team wants Counsell back in 2024 but their hopes were dashed when it was announced that he had been appointed the new Cubs’ manager.
Mendoza appeared in 28 major league games as a player, including 15 with the Mets in 1997. He collected four hits in the big leagues.
He previously interviewed for managerial roles with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox but all three opted for other candidates – AJ Hinch, Alex Cora and Pedro Grifol respectively.
The Mets had been thought to be targeting former Brewers manager Craig Counsell
But patience has paid off as Mendoza has arguably landed on of the biggest jobs in MLB, managing the Mets and their massive payroll.
They boast shortstop Francisco Lindor, first baseman Pete Alonso, center fielder Brandon Nimmo, right-hander Kodai Senga and closer Edwin Diaz, and plan to maintain one of the highest payrolls in the majors under owner Steve Cohen.
The organization reportedly is also expected to pursue the Angels’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani in free agency.
There have been five manager to have overseen both the Yankees and the Mets throughout their careers, including Dallas Green, Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel, Joe Torre and most recently Showalter.
