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Inside The Mets

What History Says About the Mets' Chances of a Turnaround

What are the chances of the New York Mets turning their season around? History weighs in.
Apr 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Apr 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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The New York Mets are in the midst of one of their worst losing streaks in quite some time.

After getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets have now lost eight straight games. The last time they lost this many in a row was in 2004, when they dropped nine straight.

The Mets' offense has produced an unsightly 12 runs over its last eight games. During that stretch, New York has scored more than two runs just once. It came in an 11–6 loss to the Athletics on April 11.

After batting .175 over their last eight games, the Mets now hold a .220 team average this season. That ranks as the sixth-worst team average in all of baseball.

The only good thing for the Mets? It’s still April. But how have teams that started this poorly fared over a full season? History weighs in.

What Are the Chances the Mets Can Turn Their Season Around?

Fans and analysts alike have been left puzzled by the Mets’ struggles, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts. Among them was MLB insider Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who posted a video on X highlighting the team’s biggest concerns.

In the video, Sherman reveals research he did comparing teams over the past ten seasons (excluding the 2020 COVID year) that started 7-12 or worse and went on to win 85 games. Sherman noted that there have been 59 instances of this happening, and only three have gone on to make the playoffs.

There were the 2024 Houston Astros, who went from 6–13 to winning the division with 88 wins. The 2015 Texas Rangers started 7–12 and also won the division with 88 wins. Then the 2022 Cleveland Guardians went 7–12 and won the division with 92 wins.

There was also a fourth team that won 85-plus games but missed the playoffs. The 2018 Tampa Bay Rays started 6–13 and finished with 90 wins, but still missed the playoffs. This was before MLB expanded the playoff field in 2022.

With all of this in mind, history is not on the Mets' side. Of course, that’s not to say they can’t rebound, but the signs right now aren’t encouraging.

"It's not just that the history of this kind of start, a 7–12 start in 19 games, often leads to a bad outcome," Sherman said. "It's just hard to watch them and see where some facet of the team, or multiple facets of the team, play well enough that they're able to roll off the kind of winning streak, winning period, to kind of get back into this."

After an off day today, the Mets will stay on the road and head to Chicago for a three-game series with the Cubs. It may be early, but things can get late very fast.

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Thomas Kelson
THOMAS KELSON

Thomas Kelson is an intern for the Mets On SI site (part of Sports Illustrated) and a junior at Rutgers University majoring in Journalism and Media Studies with a specialization in sports journalism. He has previously written for smaller independent blogs, including his own website, where he covers baseball and other sports topics. Passionate about all things baseball, Thomas brings a sharp eye for analysis and storytelling to his coverage. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Tommy_Kelson.

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