MLB Rumors: Mets dumpster fire, Acuña is our Ty Cobb, more Alek Manoah drama

MLB Rumors: The New York Mets are a dumpster fire waiting to happen

The Mets have righted the ship for now, it would seem. New York is adding David Stearns to its front office, which should only help matters. Pete Alonso negotiations are at least being discussed, even if not internally, which should add some momentum on that front. Not all is bad in Queens.

But how did we get to this point? New York entered the season with a league-high payroll, but fell flat on their face. They traded away Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer at the deadline, basically buying top-100 prospects as a result. In a piece by The Athletic, Tim Britton and Will Sammon took readers up close and personal with the hot mess that is the New York Mets.

A team meeting in Detroit. A Brazilian steakhouse dinner in Pittsburgh, of all places. The Mets tried everything to right the ship, led by Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. It goes to show that, at the very least, New York has the leadership in place within the clubhouse to try and succeed. Buck Showalter preaches a player-friendly mindset, and tends to let veterans deal with matters within. That strategy has its positives and negatives. The two Mets beat writers summed up New York's mess better than I ever could:

"After spending more days in first place (289) than any other team in 2021-2022, the Mets spent all of two days in first place this season, the last of them on April 2. The $445 million Cohen spent on the team was just over 10 times the amount spent on the ’92 Mets, a team immortalized as the worst that money could buy. That team won 72 games. This one is on pace to win 75."

This season, Cohen learned a valuable lesson. Money cannot always buy a competitive team. A positive team culture from the top-down is needed. Hopefully for New York's sake, they get it right this offseason.