ESPN’s Mendoza, a Met employee, rips whistleblower Fiers

Jessica Mendoza is upset that a player came forward about MLB’s sign-stealing scandal.

On ESPN’s “Golic and Wingo” show on Thursday morning, the “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcaster and former softball star had strong words for former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers’ “going public” with his teammates’ elaborate cheating scheme.

She would have preferred Fiers used the information to maintain a competitive advantage.

“I mean I get it. If you’re with the Oakland A’s and you’re on another team, I mean, heck yeah you better be telling your teammates, ‘Hey, look, heads up: If you hear some noises when you’re pitching, this is what’s going on.’”

“But to go public? That didn’t sit well with me.”

Fiers, who detailed the Astros’ method to The Athletic in a report published in November, helped opened the floodgates on the Stros’ rampant use of illegal sign stealing, all the way through the playoffs on the way to their championship. Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch received serious penalties from commissioner Rob Manfred for their involvement and were then fired by the Astros. The Red Sox dumped Alex Cora due to their former manager’s involvement to involvement as a bench coach on the 2017 Astros.

Cora and the Red Sox are also being investigated by the league for sign stealing.

Mendoza also works as a special assistant with the Mets, who parted ways with manager Carlos Beltran on Thursday before Beltran even managed a game for them.

“Jessica was speaking as an ESPN analyst, not as a spokesperson for the Mets when she made her comments,” GM Brodie Van Wagenen said. “I have not had the opportunity to speak with her yet.”

She was sad about the scandal, but less for the scandal’s sake.

“Honestly, it made me sad for the sport that this is how it all got found out,” she said. “This wasn’t something that MLB naturally investigated or even other teams complained about because they naturally heard about and then investigations happened.

“But it came from within. It was a player that was a part of it, that benefitted from it during the regular season when he was a part of that team. And that, when I first heard about it, it just — it hits you like any teammate would. It’s something that you don’t do.”

“I totally get telling your future teammates, helping them win, letting people know,” said Mendoza, “but to go public with it, to call them out, starting all of this — it’s hard to swallow.”

Mendoza later clarified her remarks after being criticized by fans and media for slamming Fiers, as well as for making those statements while being employed by both ESPN and the Mets.

“I feel strongly that the game of baseball will benefit greatly because this sign-stealing matter was uncovered. Cheating the game is something that needs to be addressed and I’m happy to see the league is taking appropriate action,” Mendoza said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Mendoza credited Fiers for stepping forward but added: “Going directly through your team and/or MLB first could have been a better way to surface the information.”

Mendoza then denied any conflict of interest, asserting that she would “feel this way regardless,” even if she wasn’t employed by the team that just dumped Carlos Beltran because of his well-publicized role in the Astros’ cheating scheme.

“I want to make extra clear that my advisor role with the team does not shape my opinion in any way, shape or form on this matter,” Mendoza wrote. “I feel this way regardless of what teams, players or managers are involved.”

— With Deesha Thosar