The New York Mets will be in the market for a new manager once the 2026 campaign is over and MLB legend Albert Pujols reportedly wants the job.
The Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday and will finish the season with Andy Green as the interim manager. The firing comes amid what has been a disastrous season for the New York.
While it remains to be seen if the feeling is mutual, SNY’s John Harper reports that Pujols wants the Mets job.
“Albert Pujols let friends know he’d very much want the Mets manager job,” Harper said.
Harper adds that Pujols has a “very strong relationship” with Mets superstar Juan Soto, which could help him land the gig.
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Albert Pujols’ managerial credentials
Pujols doesn’t have managerial experience in Major League Baseball but he did manage the Dominican Republic team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Before that, Pujols managed the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Professional Baseball League, where he won a pair of titles. He is now the manager of the Estrellas Orientales for the 2026-27 season.
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Pujols has made it clear in the past that he has a desire to manage an MLB team, so his interest in the Mets’ job isn’t much of a surprise.
Pujols’ credentials also include a surefire Hall of Fame career that featured 703 home runs, 3,384 hits, three Most Valuable Player awards and a pair of World Series titles.
Why Mets fired Carlos Mendoza
The Mets have bigger problems than Mendoza, but at 34-47 in the middle of a season in which New York was supposed to be a contender, the team had to do something.
The architect of this failed Mets team, president of baseball operations Davis Stearns, clearly deserves to be fired, also, but owner Steve Cohen is sticking with him.
“Our commitment to bringing our fans a championship-caliber team has not changed. There is no sugar coating it: this season has been a disappointment and our fans deserve better than what we’ve delivered,” Cohen said.
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Green, who is serving as the Mets’ interim manager, joined the team in 2023 as the senior vice president of baseball development.
The 48-year-old served as the San Diego Padres’ manager from 2016-19 and posted a 274-366 record (.428) in that span. He also served on the coaching staffs of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs.
