3 mistakes fueling the New York Mets’ horrific collapse

Barely two weeks remain in the New York Mets’ quest for a second straight postseason berth, and they’re doing their best part to spend October at home.

Thursday's 6-4 loss to the rival Philadelphia Phillies, which completed a four-game sweep, marked the Mets’ sixth straight defeat. Carlos Mendoza’s club is 3-7 in September and 21-29 in the second half, and they entered Friday only 1 1/2 games up over the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants for the NL’s final Wild Card spot.

“I’m responsible,” Mendoza said Thursday. “I’m the manager. It’s my job to get these guys going. And I will.”

Mendoza deserves some of the blame, but not all of it. Plenty are responsible for one of the ugliest collapses in recent memory, one rivaling the Mets’ dreadful September performances in 2007 and 2008.

For this list, we’re trying to avoid embarking on too much revisionist history. It’s extremely easy to suggest that the team shouldn’t have signed Soto (a ridiculous opinion, at least at this point in his contract) or that trading for Cedric Mullins and Ryan Helsley cost them a chance at the division. All of those moves made sense at the time, especially the Helsley trade that shored up the bullpen.

However, conversations like these do warrant looking back and examining what went wrong in the offseason and, to a lesser extent, at the trade deadline. 

1. Not enough veteran leaders to keep things calm

By no means are we suggesting that one or two veteran presences, even if they were aging players near the end of their career, would have kept the Mets on a 90-win pace. However, it’s clear that the team lacks older players capable of holding teammates accountable amid prolonged losing stretches.

“No one wants to get swept,” Jeff McNeil told reporters on Thursday night. “It’s not fun, especially against the Phillies.”

McNeil’s comments say it all. We shouldn’t be hearing about how the Mets getting swept in a must-win series against their division rivals is “not fun.” As meaningless as hearing how livid or motivated the Mets might be, at least it’d be an example of players speaking up and making it clear that what’s happening is unacceptable. Instead, a 33-year-old, eighth-year second baseman essentially told the media and fans that he wishes the team were doing better. 

Mets fans deserve better. And while we agree with William Munny (and Snoop Pearson)’s proclamation that “deserve’s got nothing to do with it,” it’s hard not to feel for a long-suffering Mets fanbase. They finally got the owner they wanted in Steve Cohen, and they’ve been rewarded with three incredibly disappointing seasons since the start of 2021.

This is also a horrible reflection on shortstop Francisco Lindor, who has been suggested as a potential candidate to become the Mets’ next captain. Where has Lindor been during the second half? Although he’s hit .268 with seven homers, 23 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, and a .798 OPS over 232 plate appearances, he’s not carrying the team off the field and in the clubhouse.

2. Too many risks with the rotation

The Mets’ rotation was always concerning, though we’re not pinning their struggles on Luis Severino’s departure. Severino overcame a 3.0 walk-per-nine rate and 23 home runs allowed to win 11 games with a 3.91 ERA last year, and there’s no guarantee he’d have been an above-average pitcher had he returned. 

Despite his recent demotion, we’ll also give Kodai Senga a slight pass, considering how well he pitched in the first half. However, the Mets expected way too much from Frankie Montas (3-2, 6.28 ERA in 38 2/3 innings) and Sean Manaea (1-3, 5.76 ERA and 10 home runs allowed in 50 innings), both of whom have been relatively inconsistent throughout their careers. Yes, we understand that Manaea posted a 3.47 ERA and 3.0 bWAR in 32 starts last season, but did that really warrant a three-year, $75 million contract?

Former Yankees All-Star closer Clay Holmes has been solid in his transition to the rotation, though the Mets would have strongly benefited from pursuing a more proven option to join him. Were Montas and Manaea truly the best answers? We weren’t sure then, though the answer is evident now. 

3. An over-reliance on veterans

Although the Mets’ 29.0 average age ranks 11th leaguewide, there’s a significant difference between them and organizations like the Phillies and Dodgers, whose 30.3 average age tops all teams. At least those contenders, as well as the Yankees (28.7 average age) and Astros (29.3), are getting production from younger, homegrown players. Where would the Yankees be without Ben Rice or Cam Schlittler? Andy Pages has provided the Dodgers with 3.3 bWAR in center field at 24 years old.

As for the Mets, they haven’t found those young, former top prospects who can provide significant value outside of infielder Brett Baty. Third baseman Mark Vientos’ .736 OPS is above-average, but he’s a 0.2 bWAR player with a 99-27 K-BB ratio. Catcher Francisco Alvarez has battled injuries but, to his credit, has hit .272 with an .883 OPS and is only 2-for-19 since coming off the IL.

The Mets have relied too much on veterans who aren’t living up to expectations on the field, and they’re clearly not succeeding in the clubhouse. It’s no wonder that these Mets could really wind up missing the playoffs entirely.

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