Carlos Mendoza became the Mets' scapegoat — but the problems go far beyond a 34-47 record

Carlos Mendoza was fired by the New York Mets after the franchise slumped to a 34-47 record (34-48, after they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday).

Just a couple of seasons back, Mendoza led the Mets to an NLCS appearance in his debut stint in Queens. However, when you are leading the biggest payroll team in MLB, the results are important. Mendoza couldn't lead the $358 million payroll team to destined success. Instead, the franchise is now 16.0 games behind, riding a seven-game losing streak.

To put it bluntly, the firing looks less on Mendoza and more on the Mets' front office and players. The 34-47 record was far from the only season behind such a drastic step by president David Stearns and owner Steve Cohen.

Stearns, in fact, made it clear the decision wasn't simply about the standings.

"Despite all of our efforts, Mendy's included, we haven't been able to get this going this year and I take responsibility for that." Stearns said.

MORE: Why did the Mets fire Carlos Mendoza? New York makes major shakeup as 'embarrassing' season gets worse

Mets were error prone

The $358 million payroll, the highest in all of baseball, is what makes this Mets' record embarrassing. The losses themselves weren't the only issue.

The Mets have looked sloppy on defense this season. In one game against the Chicago Cubs, they committed six errors, their highest in a game since 2014.

The Mets' offseason addition, Marcus Semien, has struggled in the infield. Moreover, injuries to key players, including Francisco Lindor, forced the team to continuously adjust the playing positions of Mark Vientos and Bo Bichette.

MORE: Carlos Mendoza replacements: Five possible candidates for next Mets manager, from Alex Cora to Carlos Beltran

Injuries don't help, but that doesn't excuse Mets

Carlos Mendoza certainly didn't have the best starting lineup every game.

Injuries hit the franchise hard, including key players such as Lindor, Juan Soto, Clay Holmes, Francisco Alvarez, Luis Robert Jr., and Jorge Polanco. At one point, Lindor and Soto had only appeared together in the starting lineup 10 times all season. The lingering absences disrupted the Mets' lineup and put the manager in the position of needing to think about the lineup almost every game.

Mets' roster construction was bad

Most businesses fail despite enormous funding because of a simple reason: Allocation of resources. For the Mets, it's about how they used their payroll to construct the roster.

David Stearns allowed two key fan favorites to walk in free agency: Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz. Moreover, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil were also traded. Meanwhile, the new acquisitions, Bichette, Robert Jr., Polanco and Semien failed to deliver on expectations.

This is why there is a growing perception among baseball fans that Mendoza was made the scapegoat of problems that go far beyond their 34-47 record this season.

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