Mets interview Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza for manager job, source says
Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza watches the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, May 26, 2023. Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II
The Mets’ list of manager candidates includes a couple of dugout veterans, one with a local twist.
Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza was in New York on Wednesday for an in-person interview with the Mets, a source said. And the Mets have talked to Cubs bench coach Andy Green, according to the New York Post.
Hiring a replacement for Buck Showalter has been a top task for David Stearns in his first month as the Mets’ president of baseball operations, but the list of publicly known candidates is short. They have been heavily linked to Craig Counsell, a free agent who was Stearns’ only manager in seven seasons running the Brewers.
Stearns promised last month that he would “cast a wide net” and “have a real process” in looking for the Mets’ fifth manager in seven seasons. He also said he would “be open to a first-timer,” a category Mendoza would fit into.
Mendoza, 43, has coached in the Yankees organization since 2009 and has been on the major-league staff since 2018. For the past four seasons, he has been Aaron Boone’s bench coach, a role in which he has been well-liked and respected by those in the clubhouse. He previously served as the quality control coach — a nebulous role that often serves as a front office/coaching staff conduit — and infield coach.
A popular interviewee in recent years, Mendoza also has talked with the Guardians about their manager opening in recent weeks after doing so with the White Sox last year and the Red Sox and Tigers in 2020, according to various reports at the time.
Although Mendoza never has managed in the majors, he has done so in the Venezuelan Winter League and the Arizona Fall League. He also was the Venezuela’s bench coach during the World Baseball Classic in March.
His playing career included 10 seasons in the minors with the Giants and Yankees.
Green, 46, is a former major-league utility man who managed the Padres from 2016-19. He racked up a 274-366 record before getting fired near the end of his fourth season.
For the past four seasons, Green has been David Ross’ bench coach in Chicago, which during those years endured a rebuild and — this past season — emerged as a wild-card contender.
Green spent parts of four seasons playing in the majors with the Diamondbacks (2004-06) and Mets (four games in 2009).
Counsell has interviewed with the Guardians and has been linked to the Astros, who need a manager following Dusty Baker’s retirement.
He said before the season ended that he would consider non-Brewers options but has never ruled out returning to Milwaukee.
“We’re going to at some point interview candidates of varying backgrounds and I imagine we’ll interview candidates who have both been major-league managers before and those who have not,” Stearns said last month. “The point here is finding the right person who we believe can grow with the organization and hopefully be here for a long time.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
