The New York Mets entered the 2026 season with a projected payroll of $367.9 million, trailing
only the Los Angeles Dodgers. Somehow, owner Steve Cohen believes he can just buy his way
to a World Series championship. During the offseason, they signed notable free agents such as
Bo Bichette, Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Jorge Polanco, and Luis Garcia. The team also
acquired former All-Stars Freddy Peralta, Marcus Semien, and Luis Robert Jr. Many people
thought that these moves would be enough for the Mets to return to the postseason. However,
this season is currently shaping up to be another expensive embarrassment.
Last season, the New York Mets suffered an embarrassing second-half collapse that caused
them to miss the postseason. During the offseason, President of Baseball Operations David
Stearns overhauled the roster. All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz both
departed for the Orioles and Dodgers, respectively. Brandon Nimmo was traded to the Rangers
in exchange for Marcus Semien to offload some salary. Former batting champion Jeff McNeil
was dealt to the Athletics in exchange for a minor league pitcher.
While the team saw a lot of departures, New York was also very busy acquiring players as well.
In free agency, they signed Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million deal and moved him to
third base. To replace Diaz, the Mets signed former All-Star closer Devin Williams to a three-
year, $51 million deal. After a strong two seasons, reliever Luke Weaver was brought in on a
two-year, $22 million deal. Veteran reliever Luis Garcia was also added to the bullpen mix on a
one-year, $1.75 million deal. Infielder Jorge Polanco was brought in on a two-year, $40 million
deal and the team planned to have him replace Alonso at first base, despite never playing the
position in his career.
The starting rotation was a big reason why New York fell apart in 2025. To improve the rotation,
the team made a blockbuster trade with the Brewers and acquired their ace, Freddy Peralta,
along with Tobias Myers, for two top prospects. To replace the departed Nimmo, the Mets
initially were in talks to sign free agent Cody Bellinger. However, negotiations stalled, New York
pivoted and acquired Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox for Luisangel Acuna and a minor
leaguer. Given the offseason the Mets had, many people expected them to have a bounce-back
season.
However, despite all the money they spent, this season has been a disaster so far in Queens.
New York is currently in last place in the NL East and tied for the worst record in baseball.
Making matters worse, the Mets are currently on an 11-game losing streak, their longest since 2004.
Offensively, they are averaging a National League-worst 3.27 runs per game. It hasn’t helped that Juan Soto has been on the injured list since early April with a calf strain. While their
rotation was expected to improve, every starter aside from Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes has
been a liability.
Maybe the most appalling part of their current struggles is that aside from perhaps Luis Robert
Jr., all their offseason acquisitions look like failures. Bo Bichette is only slashing .217/.255/.283
with a homer and nine RBI and an OPS of just .538. Marcus Semien’s decline has only
accelerated as the former All-Star is only slashing .234/.294/.312 with a home run, eight RBI,
and an OPS of just .606. Jorge Polanco has been hampered by a sore Achilles and has mostly
been a designated hitter. Polanco is currently on the injured list with a wrist injury. He’s only
slashing .179/.246/.286 with a homer, two RBI, and an OPS of just .532. Polanco’s injuries have
forced the Mets to have a platoon at the position with Mark Vientos and Brett Baty instead.
The problems Devin Williams experienced with the Yankees seemed to have followed him to
Queens. He currently has a 7.11 ERA and a WHIP of 2.053 and recently blew his first save of the
year, which helped extend the Mets’ current losing streak to 11. Luis Garcia lasted just six
games before being released. Luke Weaver has seemingly morphed back to his pre-Yankees
days; he’s currently 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA. One of their big trade acquisitions, Freddy Peralta, has
been underwhelming so far this season. The two-time All-Star is currently 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA,
and has surrendered four home runs, tied for fifth most in baseball. New York spent over $250
million last offseason and given their current struggles, that money is burning!
Steve Cohen is reminding me of what former Washington Redskins/Commanders owner Dan
Snyder did for much of his tenure. As Snyder did with the Redskins/Commanders, Cohen just
throws money at the problems. He tries to sign or trade for stars and established players to
quickly win a championship, no matter how much it costs him or the team. However, just like
what happened in Washington, these moves generally end up becoming expensive mistakes
and set the team back further. Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Devin Williams, Luke
Weaver, Luis Garcia, and Freddy Peralta are trending in that direction.
Steve Cohen continues to fail to understand that winning the payroll race doesn’t guarantee
success. This is part of the reason why, since Cohen bought the team, the Mets have never won
an NL East title, and have only gone to the postseason twice in five years. Remember, this is the
same guy who, upon purchasing the team, wanted to win the World Series in three to five
years. Perhaps if the New York Mets have a disappointing season, it could even help baseball
shorten the impending lockout in 2027.
A team with the second-highest payroll shouldn’t have the worst record in baseball and be on
an 11-game losing streak. Only the New York Mets can make this happen! Most of their
offseason acquisitions have been expensive busts so far this season. Once again, Owner Steve
Cohen continues to throw money at the problems, only for the moves to fail. For the Mets to
still make the postseason, they’ll have to defy history, as only three teams have gone through
an 11-game losing streak and still made the playoffs. New York has suffered many expensive,
embarrassing seasons, and 2026 is shaping up to be one of them.
