Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Mets are enduring a historically poor start to their season, sitting at 7-15 and tied for the worst record in baseball after an 11-game losing streak.
- Despite mounting fan frustration, the team remains firmly behind both its manager and its lead executive — both of whom it's still too early to judge.
- Upcoming games against the Twins, Rockies and Nationals could either calm concerns or intensify demands for drastic action.
One thing we can all agree on: It’s been a disastrous start for the New York Mets. They are 7-15, the worst record in baseball. They have lost 11 straight games, tying their longest losing streak since 2004. And they are already eight games back in the National League East.
And yet, despite all that, they should not panic and make any drastic changes.
Any talk about the Mets firing manager Carlos Mendoza is misplaced and undeserved. He is well-respected in the clubhouse and throughout the organization. New York has not lost faith in the third-year skipper, and firing him would come with its own complications — and could make a bad situation even worse.
“The bottom line is those kinds of changes at this point in the season just add chaos on top of your other challenges,” one high-ranking rival executive said. “You really can derail a season with these stretches though, both practically with the math of it and emotionally. Can’t totally wave and say it’s all going to be fine but since it’s going to be harder, you can’t turn the whole thing into mud.”
Carlos Mendoza shouldn't be held accountable for an underperforming roster
Instead, questions should be directed toward the Mets’ offseason decisions, in which they parted with franchise staples Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and others. The team did not let sentimentality get in the way of its desire to improve the offense, run prevention and future flexibility. While Alonso has struggled early in Baltimore, Nimmo has thrived in Texas and McNeil is slashing .266/.351/.344 in 21 games with the A’s. Marcus Semien, acquired for Nimmo, has hit only .234/.294/.312 with one home run and eight RBI in 22 games.
A look at how the rest of the Mets’ offseason additions have fared:
- Bo Bichette: .217/.255/.283 with one home run and nine RBI
- Luis Robert Jr.: .257/.366/.371 with two home runs and seven RBI
- Jorge Polanco: .179/.246/.286 with one home run and two RBI
It was a huge gamble by Stearns moving on from so many franchise icons, players the fan base watched come through their system, and replacing them with outsiders who had built up no good will — all in just one offseason. For a month, those moves have mostly looked like a mistake. A reminder, though: We’re only 22 games into this 162-game marathon. Let’s take a deep breath.
David Stearns' plan for the Mets has only just begun
The trade that sent Nimmo to Texas for Semien was made with a long-term view in mind. As Tim Britton of The Athletic noted, the Mets knew going in what kind of player that Nimmo is currently. But the trade was made with the final seasons of his contract in mind — and shedding that salary before it became too late. Semien's deal is two years shorter, and unlike Nimmo, he won't age in a way that conflicts with Juan Soto's need to man a corner outfield spot (or DH).
Bichette will get better. He was signed to a contract worth as much as $126 million because Stearns and the front office believe he can be a franchise-altering player, something he proved with the Toronto Blue Jays. Robert Jr. is a tantalizing upside play who has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. Polanco, meanwhile, is a player the Mets love offensively who they believe can be deployed uniquely defensively, a strategy that Stearns successfully utilized in Milwaukee.
Such wholesale changes take time to jell in a Major League clubhouse. It was unlikely to be successful overnight, despite what Steve Cohen or any other Mets fan could have hoped for after splurging in the winter. It's just that no one could have anticipated anything this bad, especially a second-worst offense in baseball.
Still, the Mets have a perfect opportunity to turn things around with upcoming series against the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals. If they bounce back, the anger amongst the fanbase will quiet. If they struggle and the losing streak extends, the calls for major changes will only grow louder.
It’s a crucial point of the regular season for the Mets, and we’re not even a month into it. But calls for Mendoza or Stearns to be fired are premature. New York is not considering any changes, and rightfully so. Let’s let it play out.
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