Jessica Mendoza resigns as Mets advisor, signs extension with ESPN

After a winter that drew scrutiny to her dual role as advisor and media member, Jessica Mendoza has resigned from her position as baseball operations advisor for the Mets. The news was reported first by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post and soon confirmed by both the Mets and ESPN.

In concert with her departure from the Mets, Mendoza has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN, which will make her “the first woman to serve as a solo analyst on national baseball telecasts when she does weeknight games for ESPN this season.” Mendoza will also be a radio analyst for ESPN’s radio broadcast of the World Series. Mendoza will also no longer be a member of the Sunday Night Baseball team for ESPN as a result.

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen shared his support of the move as well.

This seems like the end of an unfortunate saga that was put under the microscope after Mendoza leveraged criticism of pitcher Mike Fiers for his role as a public whistleblower that set off MLB’s investigation into the Houston Astros. It’s unclear what impact, if any, Mendoza’s position as a Mets employee had on her perspective, as the scandal led to the firing of Carlos Beltrán, but there had been a clear potential for a conflict of interest.