Carlos Mendoza Shares Thoughts Following Mets’ NLCS Exit

For several stretches of the 2024 MLB season, the New York Mets felt like a team of destiny. They rallied from an 0-5 start and at one point sitting 11 games under .500 to not only make the postseason, but end up two wins short of winning the NL Pennant for the first time since 2015. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

At the end of the day, the Los Angeles Dodgers were just better. Their offense was relentless, their pitchers delivered timely pitches when they needed to, and the Mets failed to execute when given opportunities.

The Mets weren’t supposed to be here, but that doesn’t make this loss sting any less. Now, Mets fans are forced to watch their crosstown rivals face off against the team that just knocked them out of the postseason before looking ahead toward what should be an exciting future, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke with the media after the game about the loss and what’s ahead for New York.

Carlos Mendoza spent four seasons as the bench coach with the New York Yankees and had the pleasure of working with some insanely talented teams, but he went as far as to call this Mets team “right at the top” among the groups he’s been a part of. Sure, some of that probably has to do with the fact that he managed them, but while their regular season record might not show it, the Mets were among the best teams in the majors for much of the season. The Mets held the best record in baseball since June 1 and were two wins shy of a World Series berth despite all of the adversity that the team dealt with. That isn’t too shabby.

The Mets weren’t expected to be in this position before the season, and certainly weren’t expected to be here after their slow start, and that makes falling in the NLCS somewhat palatable, especially when they lost in six games to a Dodgers team that just looked better. While this season was a bit of a surprise, this is Mendoza’s expectation now. He expects his team to play deep into October every year, and if we’re being honest, why shouldn’t he?

This Mets team has core players like Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, and Mark Vientos to name a few locked in long-term. They have a boatload of money coming off the books. They have a strong farm system. They have an owner who has proven he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. They have a president of baseball operations, David Stearns, who helped guide this team in what was supposed to be a transition year to Game 6 of the NLCS. This Mets team should be competing deep into the postseason every single year.