Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza Laser-Focused on Upcoming Season
Despite a magical 2024 season that saw the New York Mets reach the NLCS for the first time since 2015, manager Carlos Mendoza is laser-focused on having another strong year in 2025.
Speaking on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, the second-year skipper for the Mets wants to move on from 2024 and have his eyes set firmly on the 2025 campaign.
“We don’t care about 2024 anymore, Did we have a good season? Yes. But did we achieve what we wanted to achieve? No. That is bringing a championship to Queens,” Mendoza said.
New York came close to making an improbable return to the World Series last year but saw their magic run out in the NLCS, where they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nonetheless,
from starting the year 0-5 and at one point being 11 games under .500 by the end of May, the Mets’ ensuing playoff push made the season one of the most memorable in franchise history.
Even after that incredible season, the offseason moves that New York has made should get fans more excited about what’s to come this year. While the biggest splash was signing Juan Soto to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal, the Mets were also able to bring back starting pitcher Sean Manaea and first baseman Pete Alonso, both of whom were integral to the team’s success; other notable additions in free agency include Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas, and A.J. Minter.
Thanks to the team’s successful offseason, Mendoza has made it very clear that he wants the Mets and the fanbase to move on from 2024. The 2025 Mets will have high expectations this season, and want that to be the main focus with the start of spring training drawing closer.
Though the Mets rotation could click if all goes according to plan, there’s certainly more room to accommodate a frontline starter.
Michael King of the San Diego Padres would be an ideal fit, coming off a seventh-place Cy Young finish in his first full season as a starter. The Padres might be willing to part with King, too–it’s just that the cost will be steep.
In a YouTube video published Saturday, content creator Robbie Hyde proposed a hypothetical trade that would bring King to New York in exchange for outfield prospect Drew Gilbert, starting pitcher David Peterson, and third baseman Brett Baty
“King had a great year after getting traded for Juan Soto last offseason,” Hyde said. “If (the Padres) don’t want to sign him to an extension, I say trade him now while his value is high.”
“I think the Mets would be a great fit. They’ve got a lot of depth here… (but) I feel like you need to bolster the top of their rotation (and) I think the Mets got some guys that they can send back and it won’t hurt them.”
Because the Padres and King settled on a team-friendly $7.75 million deal this season, San Diego is going to want a substantial package. Hyde’s proposal is certainly that, as Gilbert was the centerpiece of the Justin Verlander trade from 2023 and Peterson is a fairly proven piece of the rotation.
If the Mets are truly all-in on the 2025 season, though, they could justify this trade in a heartbeat. Plus, unlike the Padres, they have all the spending power they need to extend King if they like the fit.
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