David Stearns now stands as the sole figure responsible for the New York Mets' current struggles, following the dismissal of manager Carlos Mendoza. Mendoza was fired early Friday morning, leaving Stearns, the team's president of baseball operations, as the ultimate point person for the roster's shortcomings and underperformance.
The team's difficulties have been attributed to a series of personnel issues, including players who have struggled with injuries and failed to meet expectations. The notes suggest that past coaches and managers, like Gil Hodges, Davey Johnson, and Bobby Valentine, would have been unable to rectify the present situation regardless of their individual strengths, implying that the core issues stem from Stearns' roster construction.
Following last season's disappointments, the team initially addressed the situation by firing coaches. The subsequent dismissal of Mendoza represents the next step in the organizational accountability process, directing all remaining criticism towards Stearns' strategic decisions in assembling and managing the team's talent.
The Mets' current predicament is characterized by a "mismatched" collection of players, many of whom are "injury prone and not-as-good-as-hoped." This situation is presented as the direct consequence of Stearns' "use of money, philosophy and, thus, roster building."