Mets legend Dwight “Doc” Gooden believes his former team is now on the right path.
Gooden, who starred for the Mets from 1984-94 and was instrumental in the team’s 1986 World Series title, welcomes the dramatic changes they made this offseason as a likely improvement on the previous regime.
“Just my opinion, from the outside looking in as a fan, it seemed like [owner Steve Cohen] wanted to spend and do the right things, but he mostly spent it on names instead of talent,” Gooden told The Post on Monday night at SBH Health’s “NY Team of Heroes” Gala at Chelsea Piers.
“And I think part of it was because the guys that were working for him were more yes men than people who told him what he needed to hear. Hopefully with [David] Stearns coming in and the new guys coming in, they’re baseball people and they’re gonna get together and brainstorm and do the right thing. Because Steve wants to win.”
The Mets hired Stearns as their president of baseball operations and Carlos Mendoza as their manager, and fired ex-manager Buck Showalter.
Billy Eppler resigned as general manager.
It followed a wildly disappointing season in which the Mets finished 75-87 after beginning the season with a $344 million payroll, the most expensive in MLB history.
Mendoza was the Yankees’ bench coach the last four seasons before being hired by the Mets, making the crosstown move Gooden is certainly familiar with.
Gooden played with the Yankees from 1996-97, helping them win the World Series his first season with the team, and rejoined the team again in 2000 in the last season of his career.
“I hear great things about [Mendoza] as a baseball guy,” Gooden said. “I don’t think the Mets are that far off from competing. Need some bullpen help and a couple of starters. Hopefully he brings in a good attitude. Being a bench coach to a manager, obviously he’s expected to win right away.”
The Yankees endured their own letdown season last year, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
But they kept their leadership largely intact, with Brian Cashman returning as general manager and Aaron Boone returning as manager.
“Sometimes teams panic and do too much, they overhaul,” Gooden said. “I think they’ll be OK, they have a good young core. This year, a lot of pressure on Cashman but I think he’s the right guy for the job.”
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