The Mets Need to Stop Shooting Themselves in The Foot

The Mets have had many reasons for their poor performance in 2026. Self-inflicted wounds certainly don't help matters.

Jun 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) turns a double play during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Mets are careening towards a massive sell-off with the potential of their worst season in almost 25 years. While injuries and poor performance have led to tough decisions surrounding Freddy Peralta, Luis Robert Jr., and Luke Weaver at the deadline, the Mets have also become quite skilled at making the task of winning baseball games harder on themselves.

Key injuries have derailed the seasons of Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. But the Mets have also demonstrated a stunning lack of accountability regarding acceptable performance and playing the game the right way. A good example of the latter occurred last Wednesday in Milwaukee, a night after the Mets played outstanding defense to put themselves in position to win a series against a team with one of the National League's best records.

The Mets chose to give Soto and Robert Jr. off days, which was fine, especially with both dealing with injury concerns. Instead of playing Tyrone Taylor in the outfield with A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge, the Mets chose to insert Brett Baty, a natural infielder, in right.

The mistake bit the Mets hard as Baty misplayed a routine fly ball into a two-run triple, leading to a three-run second inning that put them in a hole for the whole game. That decision came down to the Mets wanting to get Baty into the lineup while ensuring that Marcus Semien, who entered the day hitting .198 with a .579 OPS in 227 at-bats against right-handed pitching, got to play second base.

What should’ve been an inning-ending flyout turned into a two-run triple after Brett Baty misjudged the ball in right field.

The Brewers added another run on an RBI single.

Instead of leading 1-0, the Mets now trail 3-1 after two innings. pic.twitter.com/EIg3Jd71wQ

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 22, 2026

The Mets compounded their bad decision-making later in that game when they pinch-hit for both Jared Young and Baty against lefty Aaron Ashby, leaving them without a first baseman to finish the game. Backup catcher Luis Torrens finished the game at first base, which is a recipe for disaster that the Mets were lucky didn't burn them too badly.

Ways for the Mets to avoid self-inflicted mistakes

The fact that the Mets willingly played a third baseman in right field when they had five outfielders and ended up with a catcher at first base made a mockery of the "run prevention" narrative David Stearns pushed in the offseason. That trend continued on Saturday night, when Baty was asked to play first base and extended a rally for the Dodgers by failing to turn a double play when he threw a ball off the helmet of Dalton Rushing into center field.

A big part of these issues stems from Stearns' stubborn insistence on trying to wring value out of players whose performance doesn't warrant an extended run. Aside from Semien, the Mets have routinely trotted out Baty, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Mark Vientos, and David Peterson this year for long stretches without getting a significant return on their investment.

Semien's playing time has been untouchable even though his play has declined significantly, entering Sunday's game generating -0.9 Wins Above Replacement. The stats would dictate that a platoon with Baty at second is justified to try and get something out of both players, but the Mets have stubbornly penciled Semien in every day, hoping that he finally gets out of his offensive doldrums.

Vientos' ongoing playing time at first base, a position he rarely played before this season, was also a significant detriment to the team's defensive performance. Prior to landing on the injured list with a broken hand, Vientos had produced -1.3 WAR, one of the worst marks in baseball. But he was still getting regular at-bats because he could occasionally run into a homer against left-handed pitching.

The insistence on wringing value out of underperforming players also hurt the Mets in late June, when Zac Thornton delivered a six-inning gem against the Philadelphia Phillies in his second big league start. The Mets rewarded Thornton with a demotion to AAA Syracuse so they could give Senga's 8.85 ERA bulk work behind openers, sending a bad message to the club and fans that how much your paycheck is mattered more than how you performed.

Giving bad players so much run, when paired in combination with playing people out of their normal positions, is a recipe for plenty of losses. Baty is not Jeff McNeil, despite the fact that the Mets appear to be trying to will it into existence, and asking him to play in right field or first base isn't fair to Baty or the team.

Good teams maximize their players' skill sets while bad teams push them beyond what they are capable of. The Mets have operated in the latter category for a while this season, and some of their decisions have been easy to point out as mistakes from a casual fan, which is not a good look for a professional organization.

Despite the perception Stearns has given to the media at times, the Mets are not smart enough to get away with playing people out of position and fixing some of the worst players in the league. Those factors have likely cost the Mets at least 10 games this season, which is way too many for a team with a payroll north of $350 million.