Cohen and Stearns Are To Blame For Alonso's Exit

Monday night at CitiField, two things happened at once. The first involved a game in which the New York Mets lost to the Baltimore Orioles 2-1, officially eliminating them from postseason contention for the second year in a row and the fourth time in six years. The second involved an emotional tribute to a player who for seven seasons personified what it meant to be a fan of this team. 

For the record, Pete Alonso was hardly the perfect ballplayer. Despite his enormous power at the plate, he was still vulnerable to pitches out of the strike zone. And while he was a fair fielder, his throws to pitchers covering first base were adventurous to say the least. But pound for pound, he was among the best players to ever wear the uniform. His 264 home runs are the most ever by a Met. There was no doubt that had he been re-signed that number would've been north of 500 by the time he retired. 

But, alas, not only was he not re-signed, his agent didn't even get the courtesy of a return call by David Stearns, the man Steve Cohen hired three years ago as GM. Alonso is now an Oriole, and just like he's done every season since he made his major league debut in 2019, he is leading his team in homers and RBIs. Going into Monday's night's game, the Polar Bear's slash line was .269 / 35 / 100 / .859. He's played every game for Baltimore this season, just like he did the last two seasons in New York. Indeed, not counting the Covid year of 2020, Alonso has missed a total of 21 games during his career. Some players miss that many games in a single season.

And yet Stearns actually believed giving him a five-year contract was a bad risk. Meanwhile, Juan Soto, the man Cohen moved heaven and earth to sign to a 15 year, $765 million deal, has missed 51 games this season with a calf strain, while the guy Stearns signed to replace Alonso at first base has played a grand total of 37 games. In all, four players have started at first for the Mets this season. Collectively they've hit .236 with 18 HRs and 76 RBIs. You couldn't make this shit up if you tried.

But, I'll save my assessment of Dumb and Dumber until after this train wreck of a season is over. For now, I want to talk about what we witnessed last night at CitiField, because it was truly something rare, even for New York sports fans. In short, it was cathartic. 35,800 fans finally got the chance to get a few things off their chests, and to their credit, they didn't hold back. The "Fire Stearns" chants were louder than the "Pete Alonso" chants.

Well, apparently, some "fans" weren't thrilled with what happened. It's one thing, they said, to stand and cheer for a former player who was beloved by the fanbase; it's quite another to root for him to hit a home run against your team. They took to social media to lecture the rest of us on what it means to be a "true" fan. 

I have a message for all the lecturers out there:

GO FUCK YOURSELVES!

I've been rooting for my teams since the early 1970s and I'll be damned if anyone is going to lecture me on what it means to be a true fan.

In November of 1975, the New York Rangers waived Eddie Giacomin. He was subsequently claimed by the Detroit Red Wings. Rangers fans were incensed. So much so that when Detroit came to the Garden a few days later, they not only cheered Giacomin, they actually booed the Rangers whenever they scored a goal.

In June of 1977, the Mets traded Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds. Like Rangers fans two years earlier, Mets fans were grief stricken. Two months later, the Reds came to town and Seaver was on the mound. 46,000 fans showed up at Shea Stadium to not only give him a standing ovation, but to cheer whenever he struck out a Mets player. 

After the 1996-97 season, Rangers GM Neil Smith elected not to re-sign Mark Messier, the man who delivered the Cup in '94. When Messier returned as a member of the Vancouver Canucks that November and scored a goal against Mike Richter, the Garden faithful gave him a standing ovation.

Those fans were no less true than the ones who showed up at CitiField Monday night. This is New York, the city where Ed Koch used to ask, "How'm I doin'?" And people would tell him. This is the only place in America where you can be a hero on Monday and in the witness protection program on Tuesday. When we have something to say, we say it, and we don't give a rat's ass whether you like it or not. You gotta problem with that? Deal with it.

35,800 people came to the ballpark Monday night to show their love for a player they honestly feel should still be in a Mets uniform and to let those responsible for him being in an Orioles uniform know how they felt about it. It was not subtle; it wasn't meant to be.

If you're still pining for a GM who took a sledge hammer to a roster that was two wins away from its first World Series appearance since 2015, maybe you're the one that needs a lecture. And if you think 7 years, $158 million was a serious offer for a player with Alonso's abilities, you need more than a lecture; you need professional help.

Postscript: Within minutes of me posting this piece, Alonso hit a game-tying home run for the O's; his 300th in his major league career. CitiField erupted as the Polar Bear rounded the bases. Again, if you have a problem with that, fuck you and the horse you road in on.

Meet the Mess

78-112.

That is the New York Mets won-loss record since June 13 of last year. How bad is that? Only three teams in the majors have a worse record: the Anaheim Angels (77-115) and the Colorado Rockies (69-123). It's hard to believe that only 13 months ago, the Mets were solidly in first place in the National League East with a record of 45-24.

I've heard of free falls but this one takes the cake.

Adding insult to injury, the Mets have the second highest payroll in all of baseball at $376 million. Imagine paying all that money for a team like this. That's like going to a fine restaurant and getting served a whopper value meal.

That David Stearns still has a job is the biggest mystery in all of sports. He took a team that was two wins away from the World Series in 2024, and systematically dismantled it. And the players he brought in have been utterly dreadful. The pitching still sucks, the offense has been offensive, and the defense, as we saw clearly yesterday, is terrible. Meanwhile, Pete Alonso, the guy the Mets couldn't wait to get rid of, is hitting .252 with 21 home runs, 65 runs batted in, an OPS of .820 and only two errors. If this is what Stearns meant when he said he would address the run prevention, he has a sick sense of humor. 

At this point, there are maybe five players on this roster that are worth keeping: Juan Soto (who, despite missing a month on the DL, is second in the National League with a .967 OPS), A.J. Ewing, Carson Benge, Nolan McLean and Luke Weaver. That's it. Every one else can pack their bags, as far as I'm concerned. 

And that would include Francisco Lindor. It was Lindor's error with one out in the top of the 9th that allowed the Boston Red Sox to tie the game and eventually win it in the 10th. In 40 games and 153 at bats this season, Lindor is hitting .216 with 5 HRs and 12 RBIs. I wish that were a misprint, but sadly it isn't. And this guy was bucking to become captain?

If George Steinbrenner were the owner of this team, everyone including the ball boy would've bene fired by now. Unfortunately, Steve Cohen is the owner; the very same owner who, when he bought the franchise six years ago, said he would be "slightly disappointed" if the Mets didn't win a World Series in his first three to five years of ownership.

Well, I got news for ya, Steve-O: the fans are more than "slightly disappointed." They're downright pissed. Since 1986, they've waited patiently for another championship. Year after year, they show up at CitiField hoping against hope that their loyalty will be rewarded. Instead, they get their hearts broken. The only other local-area team to treat its fans worse than the Mets are the Jets. And they haven't won a Super Bowl since 1969.

That's a small consolation for the Flushing Faithful, and it is no excuse for Cohen, who is, arguably, the richest owner in baseball. The man should be outraged at what's going on here. But rather than hold his people accountable, he makes excuses for the poor play on the field and the gross incompetence in the front office. There's being patient and then there's being obstinate.

The Mets should have a sign outside of CitiField that reads: "Clearance sale, everything must go. No reasonable offer refused." I don't give a shit if Lindor has a no-trade clause or not. Brandon Nimmo had a no-trade clause and he was moved. If there's one thing New York sports fans know all too well, it's that anyone can be traded. Even if Cohen has to eat part of Lindor's contract, it's better than watching him embarrass himself game after game. If it's true that he and Soto don't get along, all the more reason to get him off the roster. 

It's time to face reality: the Mets are a mess. They are dead last in the NL East; only the Rockies are keeping them out of the league cellar. The trade deadline is August 3. To borrow a line from the movie Trading Places, it's time to sell, sell, sell!

Worst Team $381 Million Can Buy

Twenty-three games into this season, the New York Mets are 7-16. They've lost 12 in a row, and currently own the worst record in baseball. Only the Philadelphia Phillies, at 8-15, are slightly better.

How bad are the Mets? During this losing streak, they are a minus 46 in run differential, the worst in the majors; they are last in team ERA (5.64); last in team batting average (.194) last in batting average with runners in scoring position (.161); last in runs scored (22); and tied for second fewest home runs (8). They've been shutout three times and held to two runs or fewer nine times. They aren't just bad, they're historically bad, and if they lose tonight, they will be tied for the third longest losing streak in franchise history with the 1962 team that lost 120 games. 

Let's take a look at the last 12 games. First the hitters:

Francisco Lindor: 2 HRs / 4 RBIs / .245 BA / .260 OBP / .648 OPS

Marcus Semien: 0 HRs / 2 RBIs / .220 BA / .273 OBP / .517 OPS

Bo Bichette: 1 HRs / 3 RBIs / .239 BA / .286 OBP / .612 OPS

Mark Vientos: 1 HRs / 2 RBIs / .094 BA / .118 OBP / .305 OPS

Brett Baty: 0 HRs / 2 RBIs / .161 BA / .182 OBP / .375 OPS

Luis Robert Jr: 1 HR / 1 RBI / .190 BA / .227 OBP / .537 OPS

Francisco Alvarez: 1 HR / 2 RBIs / .212 BA / .333 OBP / .636 OPS

Carson Benge: 0 HRs / 0 RBIs / .182 BA / .229 OBP / .441 OPS

Tyrone Taylor: 0 HRs / 2 RBIs / .235 BA / .278 OBP / .572 OPS 

Now the pitchers:

Sean Manaea: 11.0 IP / 0-0 / 5.73 ERA 

David Peterson: 13.2 IP / 0-2 / 5.93 ERA

Luis Garcia: 1.1 IP / 0-0 / 20.25 ERA

Luke Weaver: 3.2 IP / 0-0 / 14.73 ERA

Richard Lovelady: 2.1 IP / 0-0 / 0.00 ERA

Nolan McLean: 20.0 IP / 0-1 / 2.70 ERA

Clay Holmes: 10.1 IP / 0-2 / 2.61 ERA

Tobias Myers: 7.0 IP / 0-0 / 5.14 ERA

Huascar Brazoban: 5.0 IP / 0-0 / 0.00 ERA

Brooks Raley: 3.1 IP / 0-1 / 5.40 ERA

Koadai Senga: 5.2 IP / 0-2 / 20.65 ERA

Devin Williams: 1.1 IP / 0-1 / 47.25 ERA

The numbers speak for themselves. This isn't just a bad team, it's an historically bad team, and its principal architect, David Stearns, bears the brunt of the responsibility. He said after last season that run prevention would be his number one goal over the winter. Based on the results, this pitching staff is significantly worse than last year's. The worst offenders, by far, have been Weaver and Williams. The two were brought in by Stearns to give the Mets a formidable one-two punch at the back end of the bullpen. Instead, they've both been horrific during this losing streak.

As for run production, there isn't one hitter over the last 12 games that has distinguished himself. Lindor is having the worst year of his career; Bichette is batting 53 points below his career average; Semien is confirming what everyone suspected when he was acquired for Brandon Nimmo: that his best years are behind him; Baty looks completely overmatched at the plate; and let's face it, Benge belongs in Syracuse.

Meanwhile, the three players Stearns traded away or let walk, are all doing better than the players who replaced them:

Pete Alonso: 3 HRs / 10 RBIs / .213 BA / .327 OBP / .700 OPS

Jeff McNeil: 1 HR / 5 RBIs / .278 BA / .361 OBP / .750 OPS

Brandon Nimmo: 4 HRs / 11 RBIs / .295 BA / .368 OBP / .863 OPS

This is Stearns third season as President of Baseball Operations for the Mets. In that time, he has turned over almost one half of the roster, including some players who were very popular in the locker room as well as with the fanbase. It would be one thing if he had slashed payroll, as I thought he was going to do after last season. But the payroll has ostensibly stayed the same going into the 2026 season. This is mostly on him.

I say mostly because Carlos Mendoza is hardly guiltless. He's mismanaged the pithing staff and he's been way too patient with his players. There was simply no excuse for not benching Lindor, who literally went 17 games without a single RBI, made several mistakes in the infield and got picked off first base. I wrote in my season preview that if the Mets got off to a slow start he might not make it to the All-Star Break. The way this team is playing, he might not make it to May.

Chemistry isn't a word normally associated with baseball, but this team looks about as comfortable playing together as a crowded elevator in Manhattan. Something's gotta give or this season will be over before we get to summer, if it isn't already. The return of Juan Soto will provide a badly needed spark, but he can't do it all by himself. The other players need to pull their weight.

I can't believe Steve Cohen is going to let this nightmare continue much longer. He may be patient to a fault, but even he has his breaking point. He's the owner of team with a $381 million payroll. This can't be sitting well with him. 

Bottom line, there is simply no excuse for the level of play we've seen from this team. It's unbecoming of professionals making the kind of money they're making. It's time to shit or get off the pot.

We Need To Talk About Lindor

Through 17 games, Francisco Lindor's slash line is .176 / .291 / .250.  He has no home runs and no runs batted in. That was not a misprint, folks. The man who almost became the captain of the New York Mets has been hit by a pitch (1) more times than he's driven in a run (0). I've heard of slow starts, but there were glaciers during the last ice age that moved faster than Lindor has begun the season.

But as bad as his hitting has been, his fielding and base running have been equally atrocious. He was picked off first base while adjusting his glove, forgot how many outs there were on a ground ball that should've been a double play, failed to cover second base on what also should've been a double play, and was tagged out trying to get back to third on an ill-advised scoring attempt. And to think we're only half way through April.

If these were the actions of a rookie, you could almost chalk them up to inexperience or nervousness. But Lindor has been in the majors twelve seasons. He has no excuse for this level of play. What's even more frustrating is the indifference he exhibits in his postgame interviews. Tone deaf doesn't begin to describe it.

When David Stearns assembled this roster over the winter, there were many questions I had about it, most of them sadly coming to the forefront. But the one constant I thought we could all agree on, the one "put in the books" player the Mets had was Lindor at shortstop. His two-run, 9th inning homer against the Braves in game 161 of the 2024 season got New York into the postseason, and his grand slam against the Phillies in the 8th inning of the NLDS, got them to their first NLCS in nine years. When the team won 101 games in 2022, Lindor had his best season as a pro, batting .270 with 26 HRs and 107 RBIs.

This is no scrub, or rookie, or bench player we're talking about here. This is an elite ball player in the prime of his career who is off to a hellish start, and whose nonchalant attitude over his performance is entirely inappropriate given his team's place in the standings, which at the moment is dead last in the National League East. 

I know it's still early, and I also know that no team wins a pennant in April. But the way this team is playing - particularly Lindor - the season may be over by Memorial Day, if not sooner. Something's gotta change. And that something has to be the lineup. Carlos Mendoza came under fire last season for the way he handled his pitching staff. But he's also been way too lenient with his players in general. Why on Earth Lindor hasn't been benched is beyond me. The example this is setting for everyone in that dugout is that it's ok to play like this. And that is unacceptable for a team that went into the season with playoff aspirations. Jesus, even players managers would know when to draw the line.

If Mendoza won't hold Lindor accountable, how the hell is he going to hold the other 23 players on his roster accountable? How does he justify sitting Carson Benge, who at least has 1 HR and 3 RBIs? Players aren't stupid; greedy, yes, but stupid, no. They can tell when a player is being given special treatment. It would be one thing if Lindor just had a couple of bad games; benching him would be an overreaction. But this isn't just a couple of bad games we're talking about; this is a trend that if not nipped in the bud threatens to derail the entire season. For the good of the team Mendoza must bench Lindor.

It doesn't have to be for long; one game should be enough to send a message. And that message is it doesn't matter who you or how much money you make. Every one is held to the same standards. You perform, you play; you don't, you sit. Period.

Lindor undoubtedly won't like it. Tough. It's not about him anymore; it's about a team that is seriously underachieving at every aspect of the game: hitting, pitching and fielding.

Enough with the excuses; enough with shrugging off unacceptably bad performances. It's time for some tough love.

Harry Truman used to have a sign on his desk that read, "The Buck Stops Here." Maybe Mendoza should get one for his desk.

2026 Mets Preview

Boy, David Stearns had himself a very busy offseason, didn't he? The Mets President and GM ostensibly turned over almost half of the roster from last year. Gone are Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, Ryan Stank, Ryan Helsey, Tyler Rogers, Cedric Mullins and Frankie Montas. Replacing them are Devin Williams, Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr, Luke Weaver, Freddy Peralta, Richard Lovelady, Tobias Myers and Carson Benge. 

If you were vacationing the last four and a half months in a place that didn't have internet access - the moon, for instance - you're in for one helluva shock when you get your yearbook.

That 2025 was a huge disappointment would be putting it mildly. After signing Juan Soto to a record-breaking 15 year, $765 million contract, the Amazins were expected to not only make the postseason, but go all the way to the World Series. Instead, they endured a historic four-month implosion that began in mid-June. Clearly, some changes had to be made. The only question is will those changes be enough to wash the taste of last year out of the organization's mouth.

Frankly, I have my doubts. Don't get me wrong, the additions of Bichette, Polanco, Semien and Robert Jr will bring balance to a batting order that was top heavy last season. And for the first time in four years, the Mets finally have an ace in their starting rotation in Peralta. I'm also very high on Nolan McLean and think he has the potential to be an elite pitcher in the majors. 

But when I look objectively at this roster, there are some red flags. For one, defense. Robert Jr will be fine in center, as will Semien at second. But Bichette is a natural shortstop who's never played third, and if you thought Alonso was an adventure at first, Polanco has played exactly one inning - actually one pitch - at the position his entire professional career. For a GM who stressed run prevention at the conclusion of last season, you'd have to admit, that's a pretty odd way of addressing it.

Then there's the bullpen, which was the primary culprit in last season's implosion. Losing Diaz - the best closer the franchise has had since Billy Wagner - to the Dodgers for what amounted to $3 million over three years is THE definition of malpractice. Hoping Williams regains the form he had with the Brewers is the biggest gamble since Custer said, "One more for the road, boys."

The starting rotation is also problematic. After Peralta and Clay Holmes, the drop-off is immense. As I said above, I think McLean is legit, but what if he isn't? What if he needs another year at Syracuse? And then there's Kodai Senga. Can he rebound from a disastrous 2025, or is this it for him? As for David Peterson and Sean Manaea, who knows what to expect from them. You'd have to be an incurable optimist to think this rotation can carry a team all the way to a World Series. 

And then there's the manager. While Carlos Mendoza wasn't the architect of last season's train wreck, he has to shoulder some of the blame, most notably how he handled the pitching staff. Should this team get off to a poor start, like it did in 2024, it's hard to see him surviving to the All-Star Break. Fair or not, the expectations for this franchise are still high. A second consecutive season missing the playoffs will not be tolerated by Steve Cohen. 

Now for my predictions. Last year, the Mets finished 83-79; the year before that, they went 89-73. Mike Puma of The New York Post has them going 95-67 this season and winning the National League East. I'm a bit less bullish. I have them going 88-74. While that won't be enough to win the NL East, it should be enough to clinch a Wild Card spot. And if Senga and Williams regain their previous form, they could challenge the Phillies for the division. However, that's a big if.

Here's how I see each division breaking down:

NL East:

Phillies

Braves

Mets

Marlins

Nationals

NL Central:

Brewers

Cubs

Cardinals

Reds

Pirates

NL West:

Dodgers

Padres

Giants

Diamondbacks

Rockies

AL East:

Blue Jays

Yankees

Red Sox

Orioles

Rays

AL Central:

Tigers

Guardians

Twins

Royals

White Sox

AL West:

Mariners

Rangers

Astros

Angels

A's

NL Wild Cards: Braves, Mets, Cubs

AL Wild Cards: Yankees, Red Sox, Guardians

World Series: Blue Jays over Phillies 4-2

As with all my predictions, take them with a grain of salt. 

A very large grain of salt. 

Welcome to the New York Brewers

It's hard to believe that a year ago this month, the Mets, fresh off an NLCS appearance against the Dodgers, signed the top free agent of the offseason, and arguably the best player in baseball, Juan Soto, to a 15 year, $765 million contract. Steve Cohen could've run for mayor and he would've won in a landslide. The Flushing Faithful had visions of a parade down the Canyon of Heroes dancing in their heads.

What a difference a year makes. After jumping out to a huge lead in the National League East in mid-June, the Amazins slowly imploded over the last three and half months of the season. Not only did they not win the World Series, they didn't even qualify for the playoffs. A Mets team with a $342 million payroll lost out to a Cincinnati Reds team with a $119 million payroll.

David Stearns, the man hired by Cohen to run the organization, quickly went to work. On November 23, he traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien. So far, so good. While Nimmo was a fan favorite, as I wrote at the time, he was hardly Ted Williams. Semien may have had an off year in '25, but he is generally viewed as an outstanding fielder who will solidify the Mets infield. Stearns apparently meant it when he said he would focus on "run prevention."

Next, Stearns signed Devin Williams - another ex-Yankee - to a three-year, $51 million contract. While Williams struggled in the Bronx, he had three very good years in Milwaukee. As a set-up man to Edwin Diaz, the Mets would finally have what they'd been looking for since the days of Orosco and McDowell: a devastating one-two punch at the back of the bullpen.

The off-season was shaping up very nicely. Mets fans eagerly anticipated the Winter meetings where the expectation was that Stearns - with the aid of Cohen's checkbook - would trade for Tarik Skubal and sign either Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger. No one, and I mean no one, was prepared for what happened next.

It began on December 9, when the Dodgers signed Diaz to a three-year, $69 million contract. Losing Diaz to the team that had beaten them in '24 was bad enough, but losing him over what amounted to $3 million over three years left a very bad taste in the mouths of every fan. As I wrote at the time, this was an epic failure for the organization.

But what followed the very next day shook the Flushing Faithful to their core. Pete Alonso, the franchise home-run king, who, like Diaz, had opted out of his contract, was signed by the Baltimore Orioles to a five-year, $155 million deal. Adding insult to injury was the revelation that the Mets didn't even bother to make the Polar Bear an offer. All we know for certain is that Stearns wasn't willing to go more than three years.

For the last couple of days I've been trying to wrap my head around what happened. I've gone from shock to anger to frustration and finally to profound sadness. The team that was two wins away from going to the World Series in '24 is now being broken up and there's not a damn thing I, or any other Mets fan, can do about it. Yes, they severely underachieved last year, but typically rosters that underachieve are bolstered, not split apart.

Let's get something straight: this was not an accident; it was deliberate. Nor was it about run prevention. If it were, would the Mets have allowed their best run preventer to walk for a measly $1m per year? No, what this was about was transforming a franchise that in 2025 paid almost $80 million in luxury tax for a team that won 83 games. If you want to know what Stearns' vision for the Mets is, go to Spotrac and take a gander at the Milwaukee Brewers 2025 payroll. Now add $61.8 million - the exact amount Soto will make next season - $19 million in retained salaries for Frankie Montas and Nimmo, plus another $20 million and you have next year's payroll for the Mets. That's right folks: $238 million, $6 million below the tax threshold for 2026.

That means no Skubal, no Tucker, no Bellinger and no Robert Suarez, who signed with the Atlanta Braves for three years, $45 million. For the foreseeable future Dollar Store Dave will continue to shop for bargains and team-friendly contracts. Don't be surprised if Paul Goldschmidt ends up replacing Alonso at first base next season. As for the starting rotation: Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat will be given every chance to make it. 

Why? That's the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Why would an organization owned by a multi-billionaire suddenly get so tight with its money? Circle this date on your calendar: December 1, 2026. That's when the current CBA between the owners and the players expires.

Over the last 53 years there have been eight labor disputes: four players strikes and four owners lockouts. The most damaging of these disputes occurred in 1994 when the players went on strike over a proposed salary cap by the owners. That resulted in the cancellation of the World Series for the first time since 1904. It would take major league baseball several years to recover from the damage to its reputation. 

I believe we are headed towards another work stoppage, only this time I think the owners are serious about implementing some kind of cap. Maybe not as severe and exacting as the one the NHL adopted after its successful lockout in 2005; but perhaps something along the lines of the apron system currently employed by the NBA.

Unlike '94, however, most of these owners have the financial wherewithal to withstand a long work stoppage, meaning we could be looking at a year or more of no baseball. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the players went on strike sometime in the late summer if they think the owners are going to lock them out in December.

If the owners are successful in implementing their cap, any team above that cap when play resumes will either have to shed salary or face severe penalties; and by penalties I don't mean paying a luxury tax. Now you know why Cohen went from Daddy Warbucks to Scrooge in just a few days. You don't have to shed what you don't have. Which makes you wonder why he went after Soto in the first place. Imagine what the Mets could've done with that money.

Bottom line: Stearns hasn't gone rogue; he's doing this at the behest of his employer. 

Welcome to the New York Brewers, people. Get used to it. 

Dollar Store Dave Strikes Again

I won't mince words here. Losing Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers was an epic failure for David Stearns and the Mets organization. And the way it went down will sting for a very long time. 

To sum up, here's what happened. After the season ended, Diaz opted out of his contract that still had two years remaining with an AAV of $20.4 million. Stearns offered him a three-year deal with an AAV of $22 million. So, basically, the Mets offered inarguably their best pitcher, and arguably their third best player, a pay increase of $1.6 million. They then told his agent to "circle back" to them in the event another team came to the table with a higher offer.

For those not familiar with the art of negotiating, Stearns broke every rule in the book. First, he knew Diaz was not happy with his contract, hence the opting out; second, his offer of a $1.6 million raise was an insult to his closer; and third, he added insult to that injury by actually having the nerve to tell his agent to "circle back" to him if he received a higher offer. In other words, Stearns could've offered more and he chose not to. 

Don't blame Diaz for this. He went with the higher offer. Free agents do that all the time. And don't blame the Dodgers. What were they supposed to do, not sign him? The blame here lies squarely with Stearns. 

I spent 25 years in sales, 13 of them in retail. It is an axiom among people in my profession that you never allow the customer to walk without making your best offer. And above all else you never say "if you find a better price bring it back to me." You might as well kiss that customer goodbye. My managers would always chide me whenever I got pissed that I lost a sale. "Don't blame the customer," they would say. "It's your fault for not closing them."

They were right.

If Stearns could've offered more, he should've done so before the Dodgers got into the act. Going cheap the way he did made it that much easier for them to swoop in and sign him. And as far as "circling back," let's get something straight: there is no obligation on the part of a player agent to give the home team the last shot. Juan Soto was a special case. Scott Boras knew he had a bidding war between three teams; two of which were the Yankees and Mets. It was in his client's best interest to drag the process out as long as possible. Most teams know, or at least are told, that they need to make their best offer up front. The irony in this fiasco is that after the season Stearns said his primary focus would be "run prevention." Well he just let his number one run preventer leave.

My fear is that this isn't a one-off. I'm not a betting man, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Pete Alonso is wearing a Red Sox uniform next year. The Mets were lucky last offseason. Alonso had an off year in 2024. That gave them the leverage they needed to re-sign him to a team-friendly deal. However he rebounded very nicely in '25 to have one of his best seasons as a Met. You can bet the ranch Boras will find a team that will be willing to meet his demands; whether that's Boston or Baltimore - the other team rumored to be interested in signing Pete.

And if Alonso leaves, you can flush next season down the drain. I'm serious. Who do you think provided Soto all that protection in the lineup? How many more times would he have been intentionally walked without the Polar Bear batting behind him? Even with Alonso, the Mets were a top heavy team. Without him, they'd be the fucking S.S. Poseidon on New Year's Eve. [If you don't know the reference there, you're too young.]

Why would a team owned by Steve Cohen, a billionaire 23 times over, be so penny wise and dollar foolish? I think the below chart might offer an explanation. 

Several things stand out. 1. Only the Dodgers had a larger payroll going into 2025 than the Mets; 2. the Mets made $444 million in revenue in '24, $308 million less than the Dodgers; and 3. they spent 90 percent of that revenue on salaries plus luxury tax, by far the largest percentage of any team in the majors. And that includes the $61 million Soto is getting.

I have no way of proving it, but I think Cohen didn't expect to win the Soto sweepstakes. The prevailing sentiment was that if the offers were close, he would return to the Bronx. Indeed, the Mets bid was only $5 million more than the Yanks. As elated as the fanbase was at the time, in retrospect, Stearns could've used that money to beef up a pitching staff, which as we know all too well, was terrible last season. While the Yankees used the savings to sign Max Fried, who went 19-5 with an ERA of 2.86, the Mets went with a rotation of Moe, Larry, Curly and Shemp.

It's entirely possible that Stearns has been told by Cohen to trim payroll wherever possible and seek out more team-friendly contracts. That was his specialty when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers. While the Dodgers are putting together a package to land Tarik Skubal, the Flushing Faithful may have to be satisfied with getting Devin Williams.

I hope I'm wrong; I hope Pete re-signs with the Mets and they get a big-name starter. I'm just not getting my hopes up. 39 years of frustration can make a cynic out of even the Pope.

And he's a White Sox fan. 

Nimmo the First Domino to Fall for Stearns

After the season ended, GM David Stearns said his primary offseason focus would be "run prevention." Well on Sunday, Stearns made the first of what is likely to be several moves meant to address that need. The Mets traded fan favorite Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for gold glover second baseman Marcus Semien. The Mets also sent $5 million to the Rangers. In order for the deal to be completed, Nimmo was required to waive his no-trade clause.

Semien batted a career-low year .230 in 2025 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs in 127 games. Two years ago, he batted .276 with 29 HRs and 100 RBIs in 162 games, and had 10 postseason RBIs to help the Rangers win the World Series. Obviously, the Mets are hoping he regains his '23 form. Nimmo batted .262 with 25 HRs and 92 RBIs in 155 games last season.

At first glance it appears as if Stearns is trading offense for defense, but it's far more complicated than that. It's no secret that the Mets had a problem at second base last season. Jeff McNeil, Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuna all took turns playing there; none stood out. Semien not only solves the problem at second, he allows Stearns to include McNeil in a package for a starting pitcher. Wouldn't Tarik Skubal look good in orange and blue? The lone concern I have about Semien is his age. At 35, his best years may be behind him. 

As for Nimmo, yes he was a good hitter, and an even better teammate, but he was hardly irreplaceable. To hear some fans, you'd think Stearns had traded Ted Williams away. There are several notable free agents out there the Mets could target that would be considerably better than Nimmo, both at the plate and in the field.

Kyle Tucker is undoubtedly the biggest fish. A career .273 hitter who averages 31 home runs and 103  runs batted in, he hit .266 with 22 HRs and 73 RBIs for the Cubs last season. Reportedly he's looking for a ten-year contract around $400 million. That might too rich even for Steve Cohen's blood.

If that's the case, Cody Bellinger would make an ideal Plan B. He hit .272 with 29 HRs and 98 RBIs for the Yankees last season, playing primarily in left field. If the Mets sign him, it would be the third free agent they've pilfered from their cross-town rivals in the last two years. Juan Soto and Clay Holmes were the other two.

But while the Mets are looking at prospective free agents this offseason, they have two of their own that will be highly sought after: Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso. Ideally, Stearns would like to keep both, but that might not be possible. Between the two, Diaz has to be the priority. As bad as the starting rotation was last season, the bullpen was even worse. Diaz was the lone exception. He was 6-3 with 28 saves and a 1.63 ERA. Losing him would deal a devastating blow to whatever hopes Stearns has of putting a pennant-contending team on the field next season.

Regarding Alonso, the issue with him is not so much salary as it is term. The Polar Bear is looking for a seven-year contract and the Mets would prefer not to go beyond three years. Like Nimmo, he can be replaced if the two sides can't agree.

Bottom line, Stearns is making good on his promise to revamp a roster that severely underperformed in 2025. Nimmo was the first domino to fall.

He won't be the last. 

Fait Accompli

In 2007, 2008 and 2025, the New York Mets went into the last game of the regular season needing a win to qualify for the playoffs; they lost all three times. And the team that eliminated them each year was the Florida Marlins. The baseball gods have a wicked sense of humor, don't they? 

But unlike those '07 and '08 teams, who collapsed late in the season, this year's collapse began much earlier; June 13 to be precise. Two prolonged slumps (3-14 and 2-14) did the lion's share of the damage. Despite a 45-24 start, the Mets were never able to completely regain their footing. In a year where 84 wins would've been enough to snag the third Wild Card spot in the National League, the Mets won 83. I guess $340 million doesn't go as far as it used to.

To say this team fell far short of expectations would be putting it mildly. A roster that was assembled to win the World Series didn't even make it to the first round of the postseason. This will be a very long offseason in Flushing.

But before we get to the postmortems, in the spirit of Dave Letterman, I thought I'd compile a Top Ten list of games the Mets lost this season, any one of which, had they won, would've been enough to get them into the playoffs.

June 13: 7-5 vs. Tampa Bay Rays. New York had just completed a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals at CitiField. They were 45-24, five and a half games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, and had a 5-1 lead over the Rays through five when Carlos Mendoza decided to pull Clay Holmes after throwing only 79 pitches. The Rays scored six runs in the top of the 6th against Paul Blackburn and Max Kranick.

June 29: 12-1 at Pittsburgh Pirates. After gaining a spilt in their four-game series against the Atlanta Braves at home, the Amazins hit the road and got swept by the Pirates. Not one of the three games was competitive. Frankie Montas allowed six runs over four innings in this one.

July 10: 3-1 at Baltimore Orioles. David Peterson was pitching a gem at Camden Yards. Leading 1-0 in the bottom of the 8th, the Orioles got a lead-off hit. It was only the fifth hit allowed by Peterson in the game, but Mendoza pulled him anyway. The next batter, Gunnar Henderson, hit a pinch-hit two-run homer off Ryne Stanek to give the O's the lead for good.

July 28: 7-6 at San Diego Padres. After enduring their worst slump of the season, the Mets appeared to have righted the ship. They won eight in a row and had just completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants when they began a three-game series against the Padres. Up 5-1 in the bottom of the 5th, San Diego scored five runs against Frankie Montas and Huascar Brazoban to take the lead. The Mets would lose the game in the bottom of the 9th.

August 28: 7-4 vs. Miami Marlins. The Mets had just completed a three-game sweep of the Phillies at home to pull to within four games of first place. Once more, it looked like they had righted the ship. But three errors by New York led to five unearned runs for the Fish.

September 7: 3-2 at Cincinnati Reds. The Mets had taken two of three against the Detroit Tigers and were looking to take the rubber game against the Reds. This was a critical loss because it gave Cincy the tie-breaker against New York.

September 8: 1-0 at Philadelphia Phillies. After getting swept in New York, the Phillies looked to exact revenge on their division rivals. The Mets stranded the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with one out in the top of the 9th. They would finish the season 0-70 when trailing after 8.

September 11: 6-4 at Phillies. The Phillies complete a four-game sweep against the Mets who blew a four-run, first-inning lead. The loss was New York's sixth in a row.

September 26: 6-2 at Marlins. After taking two of three against the Cubs in Chicago, the Mets had a one-game lead against the Reds when they went to Miami for a season-ending, three-game series. They were in control of their own destiny. All they had to do was win out and they were in the playoffs. Instead they laid an egg.

September 28: 4-0 at Marlins. Once more, New York was presented with a chance to salvage their season; once more, they looked a gift horse in the mouth. While the Milwaukee Brewers were beating the Reds 4-2, the Mets went out with a whimper.

So what happened? How did the best team money could buy implode before our very eyes? Well for starters, despite all the hoopla that preceded the season, the fact is this was a very flawed roster. There are three components to baseball: pitching, hitting and fielding. Turns out, the Mets weren't good enough in any of them.

Pitching: Even before their first slump in June, alarm bells were going off. The starters were having a hard time going more than five innings. For the season, the Mets had 38 quality starts; the Phillies, by comparison, had 84. This failure to go deep in games put an unnecessary strain on a bullpen that wasn't exactly deep go begin with. Something had to give, and give it did. From April 13 on, the team ERA was 4.95, fourth worst in the majors. That they went 38-55 during that stretch should surprised no one.

Hitting: The addition of Juan Soto was supposed to transform the Mets into an offensive juggernaut. Instead, they scored two less runs this season than they did last season. But even with all that, this was a very top-heavy lineup that was inconsistent much of the year, and until August struggled to drive in runners in scoring position. One game, they'd score 12 runs, the next, they'd be lucky to score one. Case in point, game 162. With their season on the line, they were shutout after scoring five runs the previous game.

Fielding: Let's cut to the chase: this was a sloppy team in the field. Ground balls booted; line drives misplayed; cutoff men missed; throws off target. There were times this season when it looked like the Mets had nine Marv Throneberrys out there. Truth be told, with the exception of Francisco Lindor and Tyrone Taylor, there isn't one player in this lineup I would trust to make a defensive play with the game on the line. And that is a huge problem for a team with championship aspirations. 

So why was this roster so flawed? It comes down to money. Even an owner as wealthy as Steve Cohen has a budget. With the bulk of the payroll going to Soto, Lindor and Pete Alonso, David Stearns simply didn't have the resources to go after a top tier starter like Max Fried, who signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees last offseason. Fried went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA for the Bronx Bombers. So Stearns went shopping at the bargain basement store and settled for the likes of Montas ($17m x 2) and Sean Manaea ($25m x 3). Both pitchers were bitter disappointments and will still be on the books next year. 

Pitching wasn't the only position to bow to economic reality. Around the time the Mets were negotiating whether to bring back Alonso, Alex Bregman's name was floated as a possible replacement. The third baseman won a gold glove playing for the Houston Astros in 2024 and would've been a considerable improvement over Mark Vientos at the corner. But Stearns only had enough money to sign one, not both players. Once Pete re-up'd, that was it for Bregman.

Instead of acquiring a legit centerfielder, Stearns opted for a tandem of Tyrone Taylor and Jose Siri. Taylor was a vacuum cleaner in center, but barely hit his weight at the plate; while Siri was injured and missed most of the season. Things were so bad, Mendoza was forced to use Jeff McNeil, a second baseman, in place of a struggling Taylor. When your manager is playing his players out of position, that's usually a sign the front office didn't do a good enough job. 

And speaking of which, it needs to be reiterated that Stearns had a bad trade deadline. He needed to add starter; he didn't get one. He needed a centerfielder; he got Cedric Mullins. As a result, the starting rotation continued to struggle, while Mullins was no better than Taylor at the plate and worse in the field.

And last, but not least, we come to the manager. I've been pretty clear that I don't think Mendoza was the main culprit in this tragedy, but he was hardly blameless. Throughout his two-year tenure in the dugout, he has been guilty of over-managing this pitching staff, pulling starters too early, even when they weren't in trouble. Like he did when he pulled Manaea in the second inning of the season finale, even though he hadn't allowed a run.

Mendoza also failed to hold his players accountable when they screwed up. While a manager isn't responsible for strikeouts and bad pitches, he is responsible for setting the tone for his club. There was never any sense of urgency with this team; no willingness to look in the mirror and admit they were blowing it. Just the opposite, in fact. They seemed oblivious to the peril they were in. Losses that should've been wins were shrugged off with a chorus of "we'll get 'em tomorrow" excuses. Well on September 28, they ran out of tomorrows.

Obviously, changes will have to be made. Mendoza may be coming back, but some of his coaches won't Jeremy Hefner should be the first to be shown the door. It is inconceivable that this rotation could sail through the batting order twice, only to fall apart the third time around. That cannot be a coincidence. This malady even impacted the new pitchers who were brought up in September. Enough is enough. 

The next to go should be both hitting coaches; yes, you heard right, the Mets have two hitting coaches. Clearly Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez aren't getting through, because there's simply no excuse for a team with this much offensive talent to be this anemic with runners in scoring position.

Stearns has a lot on his plate this offseason. He needs to improve both the starting rotation and the bullpen. Both Edwin Diaz and Alonso can opt out of their contracts; Pete has already said he's doing so. Will the Mets re-sign both? If so, how much will it cost? Will they trade McNeil and / or Vientos? Will they bring back Starling Marte? If not, who will take his place? Is Brett Baty ready to take the reins at third base full time? Who will play centerfield? If Alonso returns, will it be as a DH or first baseman? If Pete doesn't want to be the DH, who will?

You wouldn't think an organization with a payroll of $340 million would have that many questions, but that's where we are. The Mets seem to have as many holes as they have talented ballplayers. 

One thing is certain: the roster that crashed and burned in 2025 will have changes to it come 2026.

Read It and Sweep

"I'm responsible. I'm the manager. It's my job to get these guys going and I will." 

- New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza

Immediately after the "unsinkable" Titanic sank, many people were quick to put the blame on Captain Edward J. Smith. He was the obvious choice. He had received no less than six ice warnings, yet decided not to reduce speed, change course, or post additional lookouts.

But over the course of the next few months, three inquiries - one in the United States and two in England - shed additional light on the disaster and spread the blame more equally around. The insufficient number of lifeboats to accommodate everyone on board and the decision not to include a double skin in the construction of the ship played a major factor in the huge loss of life that night. There was also a mystery ship ten miles away that, had it responded, could've arrived in time to pick up hundreds of passengers that later froze to death in the North Atlantic.

We still don't know how the 2025 Mets season will end. But as of right now, it's fair to say that this once invincible ship is taking on water and seriously listing. It's hard to believe it but on June 12, their record was 45-24. They were five and a half games up on the Philadelphia Phillies and looking to run away with the National League East. After getting swept by those same Phillies last night, the Mets record now stands at 76-71, and they are only one and a half games up on the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds for the last Wild Card spot. For the benefit of those who didn't bring their calculators with them, the Mets are 31-47 since June 13. Only the Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals have a worse record over that span. 

While I admire Mendoza's courage and willingness to throw himself under the bus, by no means is he the main culprit in this disaster. The chief architect of this shit show that currently resides at CitiField is none other than G.M. David Stearns. It was his decision not to re-sign Jose Quintana and instead sign Frankie Montas. Quintana wound up signing with the Milwaukee Brewers - the first place Milwaukee Brewers - for $4 million and is currently 11-6 with a 3.88 ERA, while Montas is making $17 million and was 3-2 with a 6.28 ERA before going on the IR. He then, for some strange reason, convinced Clay Holmes that he could be a starter, despite the fact he hadn't made a start since 2018. Not unexpectedly, the former Yankees closer is running out of gas over the last few weeks.

At the trade deadline, Stearns opted for Cedric Mullins form the Baltimore Orioles instead of Harrison Bader from the Twins, believing that Bader, like he did in Queens last year, would not be a productive second half hitter. But Bader is batting .339 since being acquired by the Phillies, while Mullins is batting an anemic .174 for the Mets. Stearns also elected not to pursue a starter at the deadline, despite the fact that the starting rotation was crying out for someone who could go more than 5 innings. The strain on the beleaguered bullpen was bound to take its toll. Overall, the team ERA is an abysmal 4.02, 10th worst in the majors. On June 12th, it was a major-league best 2.80.

And speaking of the bullpen, while no one could've foreseen that Ryan Helsley would implode the way he has, it's worth noting that Stearns could've gotten Jhoan Duran from the Twins for a little bit more than what he paid for Helsley, and Duran would've been under team control for another two years, unlike Helsley, who's a free agent after this season. Imagine Bader in center and Duran setting up Edwin Diaz. How many more wins do you think this team would have right now with just those two players on the roster? Four, five, six? Even three more wins would mean a four and a half game lead on the Giants and Reds with a nine-game home stand starting tonight.

This is what happens when your owner spends $765 million on one player and your GM shops at the bargain basement store for a pitching staff. The sad fact is that the Mets are wasting a spectacular second half by Juan Soto, who since August 1, is first in the majors in OPS, on-base percentage and stole bases, second in home runs, and third in slugging percentage. Indeed, he's one home run and five runs batted in away from being only the fifth player in major league history to have at least 40 HRs, 100 RBIs and 30 SBs in a single season. The other four are Jose Conseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998), and Shohei Ohtani (2024).

Imagine having a lineup with Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor AND still missing the playoffs. That is unacceptable, and yet that is the likely fate which awaits this team over the next couple of weeks unless something dramatic happens. And let's be honest: even if they were to clinch that last Wild Card, do you have any faith that this team can win two games in Philadelphia, where Phillies fans will be frothing at the mouth looking to exact revenge for last year? Me neither.

But before I make Stearns out to be a modern day J. Bruce Ismay - look it up - the players deserve some of the blame here. Including last night's fiasco, the Mets are now 0-63 when trailing after 8 innings. Last season, they had nine comeback wins in the 9th inning, 45 overall to lead the majors. You can have the greatest front office in the history of the sport but if your players don't perform up to ecxpectations you're not going anywhere. 

So there you have it: a season with high expectations, that got off to such a great start, has now spiraled into a tailspin that knows no end.

I hope you brought your lifejackets. That ocean's pretty nasty. 

From Despair to Hope

On August 15, the New York Mets were in the midst of the worst slump of their season. They had just lost 11-9 to the Milwaukee Brewers, their 14th loss in 16 games. They were 64-58, six games behind the first place Philadelphia Phillies, and only a half game in front of the Cincinnati Reds for the last Wild Card spot. The team that was two wins away from going to the World Series last season was in jeopardy of dropping out of the playoff picture altogether.

To be honest, with the preseason the New York Giants were having, I was pretty much done with baseball and looking forward to football season. I have a sneaky suspicion a lot of Mets fans were feeling the same way. No fanbase, except for maybe the Jets, has had more experience saying "Wait'll next year."

And then Nolan McLean took the mound at CitiField on August 16 and did something a Mets starter hadn't done since August 4: pitch at least five complete innings without surrendering an earned run. And unlike that early August game, which was a 7-6 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, this time around, the Mets prevailed 3-1. McLean went 5.1 innings, allowed 2 hits, 4 walks, no earned runs, and struck out 8. It was his first start in the majors and it could not have come at a better time for this beleaguered franchise.

So far, the 24 year old righty has started three games for the Amazins, and his stats are off the charts. In 20.1 innings, he is 3-0, with 21 strikeouts and a 0.89 earned run average. That is better than what Jacob deGrom, Dwight Gooden and Tom Seaver did in their first three starts. Last night, he threw eight shutout innings to help the Mets complete a three-game sweep of the Phillies to pull them to within four games of first place.

McLean's arrival has been a Godsend for the Mets. They are 8-3 in their last eleven, and have outscored their opponents 74-40. But even before he was brought up from Syracuse, there were signs that things were starting to turn around. Since August 12, New York's batting average with runners in scoring position is .388. Prior to that, it was .233.

Leading the way is Mark Vientos. After an impressive rookie campaign in which he hit .266 with 27 HRs and 71 RBIs, the third baseman was having a hellish second season, hitting just .234 with 7 HRs and 31 RBIs through July. But in August, he has rediscovered his swing and his swagger. He's hitting .297 with 6 HRs and 18 RBIs. He's tied with Francisco Lindor with an OPS of 1.000. Only Brett Baty - 1.002 - is higher. Juan Soto, the 765 million dollar man, is hitting .400 with an OPS of 1.156 with runners in scoring position since July 29. Even Tyrone Taylor is getting into the act. He's hitting .360 with an .OPS of .888 this month.

 

But with the starters continuing to struggle getting past the 5th inning, David Stearns has seen enough. He's calling up Jonah Tong from Syracuse, who will make his season debut Friday night against the Miami Marlins. Tong was 8-5 with a 1.59 ERA at Binghamton this season, and 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA at Syracuse. There are those in the organization who think his ceiling might be higher than McLean's. Meanwhile, Brandon Sproat, who's 7-6 with a 4.50 ERA at Syracuse, could be called up in September. The Mets haven't had three young starters with this much potential since the days of deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard. Now you know why Stearns was reluctant to part with his top prospects at the trade deadline.

A revived offense that can hit in the clutch and averages seven runs per game; a revamped starting rotation that can go six or more innings; this was the way the Mets drew it up on the board before the year started. With 29 games remaining in the regular season, the Flushing Faithful finally have something they can look forward to in October.

The Tragic Is Back!

Another series played, another series lost. That makes three series in a row that the New York Mets have lost, during which they've gone 1-8. Yesterday's near shut out at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians - they were literally two outs away from being no-hit - just underscores how futile their level of play has been since winning seven in a row.

Forgive me if this sounds familiar, but on June 12, the Mets record stood at 45-24. They were solidly in first place in the National League East, five and a half games up on the Philadelphia Phillies. They had just swept the Washington Nationals after having swept the Colorado Rockies. They were on a roll. The Flushing Faithful had visions of 1986 dancing in their heads. 

Since then, the Amazins have gone 18-28, and are now in second place, two and a half games behind the Phillies. Their team ERA, once the best in the majors at 2.87, is a second-worst 4.99 during this skid. Their team batting average has gone from .248 (12th) to .225 (24th). Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, who were unquestionably the two best offensive players on the team early in the year, are clearly struggling. In the month of July, Lindor and Alonso batted a woeful .206 and .141 respectively. Apart from a few games, Juan Soto, the 765 million dollar man, has yet to get untracked in his rookie campaign as a Met; of his 26 home runs this year, 20 have been solo shots.

If the season ended today, the Mets would face the Phillies in the Wild Card round as the visitors. The way they've played the last seven weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if they got swept.

This is not the same Mets team we saw last year. Last year, the Mets found ways to win games; this year, they're finding ways to lose them. Case in point, a game against the San Diego Padres in July. After the Mets took a 5-1 lead in the top of the 5th inning, courtesy of a Mark Vientos grand slam, Frankie Montas and Huascar Brazoban couldn't hold it. The Padres scored five runs in the bottom of the 5th and eventually won the game in the bottom of the 9th. The loss mirrored almost exactly another one in June against the Tampa Bay Rays at CitiField. Once again, the Mets jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the 5th; once again their bullpen couldn't hold it. In both instances, that loss was followed up by a prolonged losing streak.

Resiliency is a word that doesn't get used a lot in baseball; it's typically reserved for sports like football, basketball or hockey. That's because, as Earl Weaver once said, momentum is only as good as your next day's starter. Unfortunately for the Mets, their starting rotation has been neither resilient nor momentum stoppers. When they've needed a strong performance, they haven't gotten it. David Peterson has been the most consistent of a very weak lot, and his ERA over his last two starts is 4.50. The only bright spot has been the back end of the pen, where Ryan Helsley and Edwin Diaz have yet to give up an earned run in the month of August. But given how many times the Mets have taken a lead into the 8th or 9th innings over the last few weeks, that's not much of a consolation prize. 

I won't mince words. This team is in big trouble. They're not pitching, they're not fielding and they're not hitting, especially with runners in scoring position, where they continue to be near the bottom of the league. Their 18-28 record since June 13 is tied with the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants for the worst in baseball.

And with three upcoming games against a Milwaukee Brewers team that is 9-1 in their last 10, this skid has the potential to get considerably worse. The Mets are only three games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the last wild card spot in the National League. By Monday morning, they could conceivably be out of the playoffs. At the rate they're going, they will be lucky to finish the season above .500 let alone go to the World Series.

For a team with the second highest payroll in the majors at $339 million, that would represent the worst fail in franchise history.

Stearns Goes All In

Last season, David Stearns had a fairly conservative trade deadline. "No blockbuster moves," was how I described it. And who could blame him? While the Mets were tied for the last Wild Card spot, by no means were they a shoo-in for the playoffs. A year after they sold off Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to restock their farm system, the last thing Steans wanted was to undo all that progress the organization had made for a team that might not be ready to win. So he hedged his bets, opting instead to add a few complimentary pieces.

There was no hedging this time around. The Mets were in first-place going into the trade deadline; their owner, Steve Cohen, coughed up $765 million during the offseason to sign Juan Soto to a 15 year deal; the expectations could not be higher for this team. Stearns knew there were holes that had to be filled, and fill them he did.

The Bullpen was the number one concern. In April, the Mets overall team ERA was 2.68; in May, it was 3.08; from June 1 to June 12, it was 2.60; but from June 13 to July 31, it ballooned to a season-high 4.94. The major reason for this increase was the bullpen. Put succinctly, it's been overworked. With the exception of Edwin Diaz and Reed Garrett (most nights), every reliever showed definite signs of fatigue. It had gotten so bad that every time Carlos Mendoza went to his pen he was playing Russian Roulette, only with six bullets instead of one. Clearly, the situation was untenable. Failure to act would've been tantamount to executive malpractice on Stearns' part.

So he went out and got one very good, and two exceptional arms. Gregory Soto was the first to arrive. A southpaw, Soto's specialty is dominating left-handed hitters, holding them to a .547 OPS. Righties, however, have an OPS of .726 against him, so Mendoza will have to be careful in how he utilizes him. 

Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley are both right-handers and were acquired within hours of each other. Rogers boasts a 1.80 ERA, while Helsley had 21 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. Both pitchers should make ideal set-up men for Edwin Diaz, while Soto will primarily be used in the 6th or 7th innings.

Centerfield was the next concern. Let's face it: if there's a more automatic out in baseball than Tyrone Taylor, I haven't seen him. Initial reports had the Mets acquiring Luis Robert Jr from the Chicago White Sox, but when Chicago's asking price was too high, Stearns shifted gears and landed Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles. To be honest, Mullins is the better player. Going into last night's game against the Giants, Mullins slash line was 15 / 49 / .229 / .738, while Robert Jr's was 11 / 44 / .213 / .653. 

In Mullins, the Mets have an exceptional outfielder known for his glove and ability to hit the long ball. He will be a vast improvement over Taylor and allow Mendoza to keep Jeff McNeil at Second Base where he belongs. As for the lineup, since Stearns didn't have to part with any players on the roster, it just got longer. The only casualty was Luisangel Acuña, who was sent down to Syracuse to make room for Mullins. His defense and ability to steal bases will be sorely missed. 

The good news is that Stearns was able to add four very valuable pieces at the deadline without sacrificing any top prospects in the organization.  The only bad news was that he wasn't able to land a starter. While not nearly as troublesome as the bullpen, the starting rotation is, nonetheless, becoming a concern for Mendoza. David Peterson is the only starter who's been able to consistently pitch into the 7th inning. Clay Holmes, the converted closer the Mets stole from the Yankees during the offseason, hasn't gotten through the 6th inning since June 7, and lately has struggled to get through five. In his last outing, Frankie Montas was staked to a 5-1 lead going into the 5th inning and couldn't hold it. His ERA is as high as an attendee at a Grateful Dead concert.

It would've been nice to add someone like a Dylan Cease or Joe Ryan or Sandy Alcantra or Merrill Kelly to that rotation, but I suspect the price tag for those starters was more than Stearns was willing to pay. Indeed, it probably would've been more than what he paid for all three relievers. The logical choice was to fortify the bullpen and hope that Mendoza can somehow manage to get five innings out of his starters.

Last year, I gave Stearns a B+. This year, I'm giving him an A. With the exception of A.J. Preller of the San Diego Padres, no executive had a better trade deadline than Stearns. He identified two critical needs on the roster and he addressed both of them. No, he didn't get everything he wanted; spoiler alert: no general manager ever does. But what he did get should be enough for the Mets to win the National League East, and perhaps advance to their first World Series in ten years.

Lofty goals, to be sure, but as I wrote above, the expectations for this team could not be higher.

Mets At the All-Star Break

Last year, the New York Mets went into the All-Star break with a record of 49-46, 12.5 games out of first place; this year at the break, their record stands at 55-42, a half game out of first. 

At first glance, you'd probably conclude that this Mets team is much better poised to win than last year's. But when you check under the hood, that conclusion seems a bit premature. I'll explain.

The 2024 Mets got off to a dreadful start. On June 2, they were 24-35, mired in fourth place in the National League East. CitiField looked more like a morgue than a major league ballpark. Slowly, but surely, the boys from Flushing clawed their way back into playoff contention. But it wasn't until late August that the Amazins really took off. They went 20-9 down the stretch to clinch a Wild Card spot.

This year, the Mets got off to a great start. On June 12, they were 45-24, five and a half games up on the Philadelphia Phillies. Since then, they've gone 10-18. Their bullpen, once the best in baseball, has struggled mightily. Apart from Edwin Diaz, there's not one reliever Carlos Mendoza can rely on to get a crucial out.

Reed Garrett, who had an ERA of 0.95 on June 10, has allowed nine earned runs in his last nine and a third innings. Though to be fair, eight of those earned runs came in two games; and in one of those games, he failed to record an out.

Ryne Stanek, who had an ERA of 1.04 in the month of May, has posted ERAs of 6.23 and 7.36 in June and July respectively. Mendoza, for some strange reason, elected to go to him in the 8th inning of a game in which the Mets were ahead 1-0 and David Peterson was in complete control; he then promptly surrendered a two-run home run.

Huascar Brazobán, like Garrett, got off to a very good start. In May, his ERA was 1.26. In June, it was 13.5, and in July it is currently 5.40.

Starting to notice a pattern? Hopefully David Stearns is. Because this bullpen isn't remotely good enough for a team with championship expectations. And let's get one thing straight: when you drop $765 million on a single player, the expectation is that at some point you're going to win a championship. While it's true that Steve Cohen may be an incurable optimist, he didn't get to be this successful by throwing away his money. 

But the bullpen isn't the only area of concern. Put succinctly, there are four bats in this lineup that, with a few rare exceptions, have been pretty close to automatic outs this season. Tyrone Taylor is a vacuum cleaner in center field; at home plate, he's utterly useless; Luis Torrens (.206) and Hayden Senger (.174) are outstanding defensive catchers who can barely hit AAA pitching; Mendoza has tried three different players at 3rd base and so far, none have hit well enough to win the position outright. As for the DH spot, the Mets would do better holding a telethon. Face it: as good as Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil have been, there's no way this team will win the World Series with that many holes in the batting order.

With the return of Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea, Mendoza will have a much better starting rotation in the second half. The only question is how deep can these starters go? So far, only Peterson has demonstrated he can go more than six innings. Clay Holmes is basically a five-inning pitcher, and Senga is injury prone. In other words, whichever starter the Mets send to the mound, the bullpen will likely be the difference between winning and losing.

With that in mind, Stearns would do well to focus his efforts on fortifying the pen. Middle relievers will cost less than a starter. As far as adding a bat, Harrison Bader could be had for a mid-level prospect. He's currently batting .254 with 11 home runs and 34 runs batted in for the Minnesota Twins. Last year, he hit .236 with 12 HRs and 51 RBIs for the Amazins. Assuming Francisco Alvarez gets recalled sometime this month, the hope is he can rediscover the swing he had two years ago when he smacked 25 homers. 

The good news is that even with all their flaws, the Mets are only a half game out of first. That's because the Phillies have their own flaws. It wouldn't take much tweaking by Stearns to put this team on the glide path. The issue isn't who's available but what the asking price will be. If the Mets can get a player or two with team control without having to give up a top prospect, they should absolutely do it. But if the asking price means gutting their farm system, I would pass.

On the whole, the Mets have had a good first half. They seem to have weathered the worst of that storm in mid to late June. And they are still the front-runners in the National League East. Can they win it all? That depends on what Stearns does over the next couple of weeks.

Mets in a Free Fall

"Tough stretch, no sugarcoating it. I didn’t see this coming. I’m as frustrated as everybody else. We will get through this period. Our injured pitching will come back over the next few weeks. It is unlikely the team’s hitting with RISP will continue at this weak pace. Keep the faith!" -  Steven A. Cohen, owner of the New York Mets

With all due respect to Steve, this is not just a tough stretch. A tough stretch would be going 2-7. It's hard to fathom, but on June 12, the Mets were 45-24, twenty-one games over .500 and solidly in first place in the National League East. After yesterday's loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, they're now 48-37, and the only reason they're a game and a half out of first is because the Philadelphia Phillies haven't exactly taken off.

The Mets are 3-13 in their last 16 games. In colloquial terms that's called a free fall. And the worst part about this "stretch" is that they haven't been remotely competitive in most of their losses. In the three-game sweep against the Pirates, New York was outscored 30-4, their most lopsided series loss in their 64 years as a franchise. Given how many bad teams this organization has fielded over its history, that is a damnable stat.

They're not hitting; they're not pitching; in short, nothing is going right. Ironically, the only player who's exceeding expectations is Juan Soto. For the month of June, the $765 million dollar man hit 11 home runs, drove in 20 and batted .322 with an OPS of 1.196. Conversely, Francisco Lindor - the leadoff hitter - had 4 homers, 10 RBIs and batted .204 with an OPS of just .628.

It's one thing to keep the faith; Mets fans are experts at that. It's quite another to look in the mirror and know the truth. Despite its top-level talent, this team has more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese. The starting rotation has been ravaged by injuries. Kodai Senga, Sean Maneae, Frankie Montas and Griffin Canning have all spent time on the IR. Canning is lost for the year after rupturing his left Achilles against the Atlanta Braves last week. 

The bullpen, which had been the best in baseball for most of the season, since June 13 has sprung more leaks than the Titanic and Lusitania combined. Over the last 16 games, their combined ERA is 6.59. Apart from Edwin Diaz, there isn't a single reliever Carlos Mendoza can trust in a tight spot.

And contrary to what Cohen alluded to in his tweet, the RISP issue is not a recent thing. It's plagued this team all season long. The Mets are batting just .217 with runners in scoring position. Only the Chicago White Sox at .208 are worse. To put that in perspective, the Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers - the current division leaders in the National League - are batting .262, .281 and .298 respectively with runners in scoring position. 

The bottom half of the lineup is as close to an automatic out as there is in baseball. After coming back from a hamstring injury, Mark Vientos looks lost at the plate. In his last three games, he's gone 1-13, and that one hit was a dribbler up the third base line. Ronnie Mauricio, aside from smacking three dingers, clearly cannot handle major-league pitching; and Francisco Alvarez had gotten so bad, the Mets were forced to send him back down to Syracuse to help him get his swing back. All the faith in the world can't overcome this level of ineptitude.

The fact is the Mets, even with the second-highest payroll in baseball, lack the depth to be a good team. David Stearns has done a credible job of piecing together a pitching staff that until recently was the envy of every GM in the majors. And now it is coming unglued. Take away Lindor, Soto, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo, and most of the remaining hitters would have a hard time cracking the Oakland A's lineup. Even in a sport as individualistic as baseball, you still need more than a handful of players to win a championship.

If this hemorrhaging doesn't come to an end soon, the Flushing Faithful may have to endure yet another year of bitter disappointment.

But then that's become a rite of passage, hasn't it?