ROCK BOTTOM?

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The Mets lost 2-1 in 10 innings on Sunday, marking the Mets eleventh straight loss as they finished a road trip 0-6 against the Dodgers and Cubs. Every little mistake the Mets have made, has wound up coming up costing them in a big way, and Sunday and old friend beat them. Michael Conforto hit a game tying RBI double in the bottom of the ninth off of Devin Williams. The Mets offense has been a massive issue during this stretch, they are averaging 1.70 runs per game. They’re hitting an even .200 with 17 extra base hits, a .537 OPS and a .145 average with runners in scoring position. It’s still April but it’s getting late early in the season. 

Point the finger at whoever you want. Steve Cohen, Carlos Mendoza, the players, or David Stearns. The problem is the answer is they’re all at fault, and as much as we want to say Juan Soto will help and he will, we can’t think he’s the savior despite being paid like it. I’ll say this I was on board with some of David Stearns’ decisions this past winter. I was on board with moving off of Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, despite both getting off to good starts with their new teams. I was not a fan of letting Pete Alonso walk, and I think the Mets right now are feeling that weakness right now. They miss Alonso’s power, as they are tied with the Tigers and Marlins with 15 homers, only the Giants and Red Sox have fewer. And say what you want about his defense, but Mark Vientos and Brett Baty haven’t exactly been awesome defensively. Jorge Polanco hit the IL on Saturday with a Wrist issue. 

David Sterans was able to convince Cohen that changes were necessary after last season’s collapse, and the truth is the Mets probably did need to make some changes after last season. But the goal in the offseason was to get better, but right now the Mets are going through the motions and just not coming up clutch. They’re lucky it’s April, but continue to play this way and Citi Field will be a ghost town this summer and that’s the last thing Steve Cohen wants, especially with a work stoppage looming in 2027.