Mendoza received a vote of confidence from David Stearns recently, the other obvious candidate for Mets fans to wag their finger at. There’s no chance Mendoza will be one of them, but his seat should feel a little balmy on Opening Day 2026. Mets fans aren’t getting greedy by wanting more. Just about everything about this Mets season has happened in reverse. Fair or not, it should make Mendoza feel like he’s sitting on a 1980’s playground slide to begin next year.