The New York Mets made a run all the way to Game 6 of last season's NLCS and signed Juan Soto not even a couple of months later. With that in mind, expectations for this season were World Series or bust, and understandably so. Well, after a hot start, the Mets' play has only regressed as the season has progressed, and now, they find themselves barely hanging onto the third Wild Card spot.
The Mets might make the playoffs, but even if they do, does this team look like one that can go through the gauntlet that is the National League and win a World Series against a formidable American League foe? I, as a Mets fan want to say yes, and believe that when right, the pieces are there for a run to be had, but ultimately, 128 games of mostly poorly-played baseball games cannot be ignored anymore.
If the Mets are unable to at the very least get to where they did last season, major chnges can be expected over the offseason. These four individuals feel like easy ones the Mets will prioritize parting with.
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4. Ryne Stanek, relief pitcher
Ryne Stanek was the most reliable non-Edwin Diaz reliever the Mets had to offer in last year's postseason, so it made a lot of sense for New York to bring the right-hander back on a one-year deal, especially for a price that looked incredibly cheap on paper. Unfortunately, while Stanek has had several chances to pitch in a meaningful role for the Mets this season, his inconsistency has made him practically unusable.
There are nights where Stanek looks unhittable, and there are nights where he seemingly has no idea where the ball is going. Unfortunately, most of the latter nights seem to come in high-leverage moments. Opponents are slashing .324/.342/.568 against him in high-leverage situations, posting an OPS nearly 200 points higher than his mark in low-leverage spots.
Overall, his 5.31 ERA is a lot higher than it probably should be (3.77 FIP, 3.91 xERA), and there's a lot to like when watching him pitch, but the inconsistency and unreliability in high-leverage makes him an easy reliever for the Mets to let walk in free agency this time around.
3. Mark Vientos, third baseman
This one stings. Mark Vientos was a huge reason why the Mets even made it to the NLCS last season, and he looked like a cornerstone piece at the hot corner for New York. Well, not only has Vientos' glove made him practically unusable in the field, but his bat has taken a huge step back as well, relegating him to the bench often.
Vientos is slashing .230/.277/.364 with seven home runs and 32 RBI in 82 games this season. He's been a below-average hitter, and that, paired with his already subpar glove, has him worth -0.5 fWAR. Yes, he's been worse than replacement level as a player, which is really hard to fathom.
The Mets could choose to keep him around and hope for a bounce back - they'd be selling awfully low on a player with a fairly high ceiling if they don't - but would that really be a good idea? Again, Vientos really isn't a third baseman, and even if Pete Alonso leaves in free agency, I'm not convinced he's a first baseman either. He could be a DH, but has he shown anything with the bat this season to suggest he'll come near the 2024 heights? He has just seven home runs this season, one of which has been hit since June, and the advanced metrics are far from stellar.
The Mets would benefit by adding a proven DH (hello, Kyle Schwarber) in free agency or via trade, rather than hoping Vientos figures it out. Their lineup has been too inconsistent in large part due to the team expecting big things from Vientos. That should change.
2. Frankie Montas, starting pitcher
The Mets signed Frankie Montas to a two-year deal over the offseason hoping he could solidify the back end of their rotation. Well, after eight lackluster appearances to begin his Mets career, Montas has been relegated to the bullpen. This, of course, came after he missed the first three-ish months of the season due to injury. Yeah, it's been a disastrous start to Montas' tenure in Queens, and I'm not convinced things will get much better.
It makes sense for the Mets to give him a look in the bullpen and see if he can figure something out. They invested too much money into him to give up on him completely after just eight appearances. However, if he struggles in the bullpen, what's next? How much lower can he go? Spoiler alert; not very much.
It's never fun to eat money and pay a player to go away, but if the Mets collapse and Montas can't show signs of being a contributor in 2026, there's a good chance Steve Cohen will decide to bite the bullet and replace him with someone better.
1. Eric Chavez, hitting coach
This is the move that the Mets really have to make. Is it all Eric Chavez's fault that the Mets offense has gone from seventh in runs scored last season to 17th this season after adding Juan Soto? No, but it's abundantly clear that Chavez is at least part of the problem.
I'm not going to blame him for Soto, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and even Pete Alonso slumping mightily, particularly lately. I'm not even going to blame him for the team's season-long struggles with runners in scoring position. I am going to blame him for the Mets ranking 19th in the majors in fly ball rate (37.8 percent) and 27th in pull rate (38.3 percent). The most efficient way for a team to score runs is by pulling fly balls. The Mets do not do that, and Chavez preaches doing the opposite of that. The fact that they rank seventh in the majors in opposite field rate is not by accident.
The approach needs a major overhaul, and Chavez is not the right fit. The offense might not be the only reason why the Mets have collapsed, but it's certainly the biggest one. Chavez is obviously very involved in that area of the team as the hitting coach. It's time for a change, and if improvements aren't made, there will certainly be one at this position.