Key Takeaways
- • The New York Mets entered May 2026 with a 9-19 record through their first 31 games, marking their worst start since 1981, and have lost 15 of their last 17 games including a 12-game losing streak.
- • Despite a $367.9 million Opening Day payroll (second-highest in MLB), the Mets have generated an MLB-worst 92 runs scored and an MLB-worst on-base percentage, indicating severe offensive dysfunction across the roster.
- • Owner Steve Cohen, who acquired the franchise for $2.4 billion in 2020 with explicit promises to build a championship contender within three to five years, faces mounting scrutiny as his spending has failed to produce competitive results.
- • General Manager David Stearns faces criticism for roster construction decisions (including aging players like 35-year-old Marcus Semien coming off his worst offensive season) that have created salary cap constraints while delivering substandard performance.
- • Manager Carlos Mendoza's job remains day-to-day despite internal recognition that roster deficiencies, not managerial incompetence, are the primary source of the team's collapse, though the organization may seek a scapegoat following Boston's termination of World Series-winning manager Alex Cora.
Summary
The New York Mets organization entered May 2026 in organizational crisis, posting a 9-19 record through their first month of play—the franchise's worst 31-game start since 1981. The team extended a 12-game losing streak and has lost 15 of 17 games, including a sweep by the Colorado Rockies, a club that has compiled 323 losses over the preceding three seasons.
The offensive collapse is particularly acute. The Mets rank last in Major League Baseball with 92 runs scored and possess the worst on-base percentage in the league. The team managed only one run across 18 doubleheader innings on a recent Sunday, exemplifying the depth of their batting dysfunction. This offensive ineptitude persists despite the organization fielding the second-highest Opening Day payroll in baseball at $367.9 million.
Owner Steve Cohen's credibility faces substantial damage. When Cohen acquired the Mets from the Wilpon estate for $2.4 billion in 2020, he positioned himself as a transformational figure—a deep-pocketed owner committed to winning rather than profit maximization. Cohen promised to "create a blueprint for winning," hire "the best and the brightest" executives, and deliver a World Series championship within three to five years. He publicly stated that "you build champions, you don't buy them." The current performance—marked by one of the franchise's worst starts in four decades despite record spending—contradicts these foundational commitments. Cohen subsequently attempted reassurance through social media, tweeting about "green shoots" of recovery following an April 15 loss to the Dodgers before the team was swept, extending the losing streak further.
General Manager David Stearns faces criticism for roster construction decisions that have simultaneously failed on performance and created salary cap constraints. Observers point to acquisitions of aging players, including 35-year-old Marcus Semien following his statistically worst offensive season, as evidence of flawed personnel strategy. The organization appears positioned to make a managerial change as a symbolic response to systemic failure, with manager Carlos Mendoza's status described as day-to-day despite internal acknowledgment that roster inadequacy, not managerial performance, represents the core problem. This trajectory intensified following Boston's decision to terminate World Series-winning manager Alex Cora, suggesting the Mets may sacrifice Mendoza despite his refined approach to management.
The offensive collapse is particularly acute. The Mets rank last in Major League Baseball with 92 runs scored and possess the worst on-base percentage in the league. The team managed only one run across 18 doubleheader innings on a recent Sunday, exemplifying the depth of their batting dysfunction. This offensive ineptitude persists despite the organization fielding the second-highest Opening Day payroll in baseball at $367.9 million.
Owner Steve Cohen's credibility faces substantial damage. When Cohen acquired the Mets from the Wilpon estate for $2.4 billion in 2020, he positioned himself as a transformational figure—a deep-pocketed owner committed to winning rather than profit maximization. Cohen promised to "create a blueprint for winning," hire "the best and the brightest" executives, and deliver a World Series championship within three to five years. He publicly stated that "you build champions, you don't buy them." The current performance—marked by one of the franchise's worst starts in four decades despite record spending—contradicts these foundational commitments. Cohen subsequently attempted reassurance through social media, tweeting about "green shoots" of recovery following an April 15 loss to the Dodgers before the team was swept, extending the losing streak further.
General Manager David Stearns faces criticism for roster construction decisions that have simultaneously failed on performance and created salary cap constraints. Observers point to acquisitions of aging players, including 35-year-old Marcus Semien following his statistically worst offensive season, as evidence of flawed personnel strategy. The organization appears positioned to make a managerial change as a symbolic response to systemic failure, with manager Carlos Mendoza's status described as day-to-day despite internal acknowledgment that roster inadequacy, not managerial performance, represents the core problem. This trajectory intensified following Boston's decision to terminate World Series-winning manager Alex Cora, suggesting the Mets may sacrifice Mendoza despite his refined approach to management.
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