New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza appears to have dodged a bullet—at least for now. As the team heads to Anaheim for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, the buzz around his job security is quieter than a seventh-inning stretch crowd. But with the Mets stumbling to a 10-21 record and sitting dead last in the NL East, the question lingers: just how safe is he?

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns recently gave Mendoza a public vote of confidence, telling MLB.com, "We don't view this as a manager problem, and we don't intend to make a change." That's a lifeline for the third-year skipper, who has faced a barrage of questions about his future as the losses pile up. The Mets just wrapped a brutal homestand against the Twins, Rockies, and Nationals—teams with middling records—and managed only three wins in nine games. Many saw that stretch as a make-or-break moment for Mendoza, but he's still on the flight to California.

Anaheim holds a certain irony for the Mets: it's the site of their last in-season managerial firing, when Willie Randolph was let go back in 2008. Mendoza, however, seems to have more runway. Stearns emphasized the organization's focus on the bigger picture, and Mendoza is expected to stay through the rest of the nine-game road trip, which includes stops in Arizona and Colorado.

For now, the Mets are banking on stability over a shake-up. But in the pressure cooker of New York baseball, every series feels like a referendum. Mendoza's survival may depend on turning this sinking ship around—fast.