What's wrong with the New York Mets? And how worried should fans be?

Yahoo

7 hours ago

Mets owner Steve Cohen, the 95th-richest man on Earth, doesn't tweet often.
In fact, since Opening Day, the 69-year-old hedge fund tycoon has posted only eight times on the website now known as X. Each post, including the one he delivered on Monday morning, has been about the Mets. In other words, despite being the sport's most front-facing owner, Cohen is not one to overreact online to on-field results.
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What compels Cohen to hit 'SEND' is far from a science. Since purchasing his boyhood club in 2020, the bespectacled billionaire has consistently tried to instill a sense of calm in a fan base that, since its inception in 1962, has known nothing but emotional volatility. The man with more money than god bought the Mets, in part, to try to elevate the franchise into the upper echelon of American sports.
In many ways, he has done that, as the team has shed the institutional rot and punch-line status it held before Cohen's reign. He believes, wholeheartedly, in the process, the long game. That, plus some insider-trading envelope-pushing, is how he made his fortune, after all.
But this past weekend in MetsLand was rough enough that the head honcho got those Twitter fingers going.
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By run differential, his club delivered its single worst performance in a three-game series in franchise history, getting outscored by the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates 30-4. Saturday's defeat — skipper Carlos Mendoza was tossed for the first time in his managerial career, and the club held a players-only meeting after the final out — felt like rock-bottom. Then the Mets trudged out there on Sunday afternoon, got whip-smacked, were forced to have a position player pitch and lost 12-1.
And so, Cohen tweeted.
Despite this late June suckfest, the Mets are still 48-37, only two games back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. They remain in sole possession of the top NL wild card, though they are just 2.5 games from danger in that race. That's rather shocking, given the club's dominant run in late May and early June, a stretch that had the Mets at 45-24 and 5.5 games up in the division on June 12.
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But as Cohen pointed out: All good teams go through rough stretches, fallow periods, runs of games that make fans want to toss their TVs into bodies of water. The Mets are no different. So what about this recent schneid is small-sample-size fugazi, and what is actual cause for concern?
Let's dive in.
Chill out: The top of the lineup
Remember when everybody was worried about Juan Soto? He doesn't.
As the Mets spent June tailspinning in the standings, the $765 million man dazzled. Soto posted a 1.196 OPS with 11 homedingers last month. He looks locked in and dangerous. The shuffle is back. He has the sauce again. The Mets have some issues; Soto is not one of them.
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Neither is Francisco Lindor, even though the superstar shortstop just turned in one of the worst months of his career, finishing June with a paltry .628 OPS. When you look under the hood, Lindor graded out as one of the unluckiest hitters last month. His expected stats based on batted-ball data don't provide any real reason for panic.
Worry: The bottom of the lineup
Mets hitters Nos. 5-9 are OPSing .649 this season, 22rd in the league. The 5-spot in the lineup has been solidified by Jeff McNeil's return from injury in May, but after him, there are some real issues.
The lineup was particularly top-heavy in June, when hitters 6-9 combined to OPS a horrifyingly low .586. Outfielder Tyrone Taylor, infielder Brett Baty, catcher Luis Torrens and DH Jared Young all hit below the Mendoza Line last month. Third baseman Mark Vientos missing most of the month while on the IL didn't help, but the 2024 breakout slugger hasn't looked the same so far this season, meaning his return cannot be viewed as a panacea.
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Eventually, demoted catcher Francisco Alvarez will come back from Triple-A, but he can't be counted on, either. The Mets need a few someones down the batting order to emerge from the muck and provide some production, or else they'll need to acquire a few bats at the deadline.
Worry: The starting rotation
In spring training, many prognosticators doubted whether the Mets had enough starting pitching to compete for an NL East banner. After 2.5 months of ball, those worries looked completely unfounded and then some. Entering play on June 13, the Mets' rotation had a sparkling, league-leading 2.79 ERA. Developmental success stories such as Griffin Canning, Clay Holmes and David Peterson were pitching like borderline All-Stars. A fully healthy Kodai Senga was delivering gem after gem. Veterans Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas were inching their way off the IL. Things, it seemed, were good.
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In the 16 games since then, Mets starters have combined to allow a whopping 47 runs in 68 innings. That 6.22 ERA is dead last in baseball over that span. And while team officials — and Cohen — knew the rotation would experience some regression to the mean, this collapse has been sharper and more sudden than anybody could have expected.
And unfortunately for the Mets, time alone can't fix this problem. Canning blew out his Achilles and is done for the year. Senga hit the shelf due to a hamstring issue, and his replacement, depth righty Paul Blackburn, has an ugly 12.10 ERA across three starts. The Japanese fork baller has resumed throwing, but Senga, an injury mystery box throughout his MLB tenure, cannot be relied upon to post. Peterson, who was outpitching his peripherals, has also hit a rough patch, with 13 earned runs allowed in his past three outings. Holmes has continued to throw well, but the former closer is already well past his career high in innings. Montas has made two starts since returning — a gem and a clunker — and right now the jury is out on whether the Mets' big-league pitching development group can turn the veteran into an impact arm. Last but not least, Manaea's rehab process hit a speed bump, and there's no longer a clear timetable.
All together, it's a beleaguered, undermanned unit overly reliant on Senga in the search for high-level, playoff-type starters.
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Chill out: The front office at the deadline
Last year at the deadline, president of baseball operations David Stearns was relatively passive about upgrading a team that was then very much on the fringes of the playoff picture. He acquired Blackburn, DH Jesse Winker and a trio of relievers in Huascar Brazoban, Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton, but he avoided a big blockbuster. The Mets reached the NLCS anyway.
This year, expect Stearns and his highly regarded front office to be much more active in the trade market. New York's farm system is stout, giving Stearns a war chest from which to work. More importantly, the Mets know what they're doing and who they are. Their window is open, but this roster needs help. It should get it.