The New York Mets, the team with the highest payroll in Major League Baseball (MLB), have fired manager Carlos Mendoza, holding him accountable for the team's poor performance.

The Mets announced today (June 27) that they have dismissed Mendoza and appointed Andy Green, the club's senior vice president of baseball development, as interim manager for the remainder of the season.

The Mets, currently mired in a six-game losing streak, sit at the bottom of the National League (NL) East with a dismal record of 34 wins and 47 losses at the halfway point of the season.

With the team trailing the division-leading Atlanta Braves by 15 games and sitting 9.5 games out of the final wild-card spot, their chances of reaching the postseason have dimmed significantly.

The team's severe slump is particularly painful when contrasted with the astronomical investment made by owner Steve Cohen.

The Mets, who have not won a World Series since 1986, have the highest total player payroll in MLB this season, reaching 358 million dollars (approximately 550 billion won).

In a statement, owner Cohen firmly explained the reasoning behind the firing, saying, "Our commitment to building a championship-caliber team remains unchanged. I am not going to sugarcoat it; this season has been disappointing, and our fans deserve better than what we have shown so far."

This season, the Mets have suffered significant roster depletion as key players including Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Clay Holmes have been sidelined by injuries.

Ultimately, the Mets effectively threw in the towel on this season by trading pitcher David Peterson to the Chicago Cubs.

Mendoza, who took the helm in 2024 as the successor to Buck Showalter, was initially recognized for his leadership after guiding the team to the National League Championship Series (NLCS) in his first year.

However, after failing to reach the postseason the following year and enduring the worst slump this season, he was unable to complete the final year of his three-year contract.

Interim manager Green, who will lead the team for the remainder of the season, previously served as the manager of the San Diego Padres from 2016 to 2019.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)