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The New York Mets are poised to finish near the bottom of the NL East after a season derailed by a disastrous April, a 34-47 record by the end of June and a prolonged 13-game deficit. Despite MLB's second-highest payroll and major offseason acquisitions, costly front-office decisions and underperforming players have left the team struggling with two games remaining.
A 73-87 record — which can be 75-87 at best and 73-89 at worst with two games remaining — was not what the Mets, their fans and the media covering them expected from the second-highest player payroll in Major League Baseball.
Not since 2003 had the Mets finished last in the NL East. While they weren't nearly as successful as the team and its fans would have liked during the ensuing 23 years, they did advance to three NL Championship Series and play in one World Series. The Mets won 101 games in 2022. The 2026 season went sour from the start as the Mets went 7-19 in April.
Before May 1, they were 11.5 games out of first place in the NL East. One month later, the Mets were 14 games back. From there, they never got closer than within 13 games of the lead.
By the end of June, the Mets were 34-47 and During the second half of the season, the best entertainment for Mets fans may have been reporter Steve Gelbs rating MLB ballpark hot dogs for his "Let's Be Frank" segment on the SNY broadcasts. Last season, the Mets finished second in the division with an 83-79 mark.
With team owner Steve Cohen bankrolling a massive budget and president of baseball operations David Stearns once considered among the brightest executives in MLB, it wasn't unreasonable to assume that first place was attainable. But other than Weaver, none of those signings paid off. And a middle reliever — even one with an 1.84 ERA before Weaver was dealt to theWith two games remaining, Bichette has a .259/.310/.386 slash line. Semien is batting .216 with a .624 OPS.
Polanco only played in 37 gamesMeanwhile, the Mets' failings this season and misguided decisions by the front office were embodied by former first baseman Pete Alonso. A fan favorite and face-of-the-franchise type that teams yearn for, Alonso saw theAlonso provided Mets fans with a bittersweet reminder of his success in Queens by returning late in the season with the Orioles andWhile Stearns will have to do a far better job in evaluating talent and utilizing the exorbitant resources provided to him by Cohen, the Mets have some young talent that make next season potentially exciting.
Outfielder Carson Benge became the first Mets rookie to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in team history.is one of the top young starting pitchers in MLB, compiling a 3.16 ERA with 194 strikeouts in 179 2/3 innings. , with 5 Defensive Runs Saved and 3 Outs Above Average. Left-hander Zac Thornton appears to have a future in the starting rotation with a 3.42 ERA in 15 appearances.for the team after more than 30 years in the booth.
On the TV side, even when the team is playing badly, Mets fans have a winner with SNY broadcasters Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez, But the best reason for the Mets and their fans to be hopeful might be as simple as next season can't possibly be worse than this one was. Right?
New York Mets Major League Baseball NL East 2026 Season Team Payroll
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