Three Mets Players Who Deserve the Most Blame for Carlos Mendoza's Firing

Fresh off of the firing of former manager Carlos Mendoza, it’s no secret that the New York Mets have underperformed in the first half of the 2026 season. This is a group that locked down Fransisco Lindor a few years ago and recently acquired big-ticket talents like Juan Soto and Bo Bichette. Nolan McLean, one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, is a staple in their rotation and A.J. Ewing got the early call to give this group a shot in the arm. 

Despite that laundry list of seemingly positive occurrences, New York is 34-48 and dead last in the National League East. Here are three players who need to step it up in the Big Apple with Andy Green now stepping in to take Mendoza's place.

Bo Bichette

Bo Bichette is front and center on this list. Any time a player signs a contract (three years, $126 million) worth over $40 million year over year, subpar results will be met with scrutiny. Bichette had hit north of .300 in four of his first seven MLB seasons, yet right now he’s sporting a .254 batting average with an on-base percentage at just .299. 

While the shortstop has left much to be desired so far this season, he is running into a decent amount of bad luck. Baseball Savant has his expected batting average slotted at .285, a whole 29 points higher than his actual value. Above-average marks in average exit velocity (73rd percentile), hard-hit percentage (69th percentile) and squared-up percentage (72nd percentile) all imply that he is making quality contact despite a lackluster bat speed.

The defense has also been a struggle point for Bichette so far. His -1 outs above average rating slots him in the 34th percentile, with an arm strength value also dropping below the league mean. Bichette has been much better in June, but that doesn’t cut it considering his contract and the Mets’ expectations entering this season.

Freddy Peralta

New York cashed out in the trade market to land Freddy Peralta, and the hope was that he could bolster the front of the rotation with a veteran presence to supplement a rather green Nolan McLean. Unfortunately for New York, Peralta is having one of his worst seasons to date. The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher holds a 5-6 record with a 4.53 earned run average over 17 starts. 

Peralta is a unique case-study, as he’s always been heavily reliant on the fastball. The former Brewer technically possesses five different pitches, but he relies on his four-seamer a whopping 53% of the time. This year, his primary offering is being met with a .242 batting average against, up from a .209 mark in 2025. 

Outside of his ability to limit opposing hitters’ barrel percentage to just 5.1% (82nd percentile) this year, all of his other marks have hung around the average line. This performance has been a stark contrast from someone who was 17-6 with a 2.70 earned run average just a year ago. 

Marcus Semien

Marcus Semien rounds out the list, and he just simply needs to hit the ball more often this year. No, this isn’t prime Marcus Semien anymore, but a .214 batting average and another on-base mark below .300 isn’t acceptable. Semien is 35 years old, and he’s climbing uphill when you consider that his bat speed is in the 9th percentile this year at just 68.7 miles per hour. 

With that being said, the 7.2 percent walk rate for someone who has taken close to 7,000 career at-bats needs to be better. The Mets have had a lot of roster turnover in the last handful of years, but a veteran who leads by example could patch up some of those continuity issues. Semien has the pedigree to supply this group with just that, but the approach needs to be better.