Why the Mets' Season Has Essentially Been Doomed Since April

There were warning signs that the Mets were in trouble in April. Those issues were ignored, which is a big reason things have gotten so alarming in Flushing.

Francisco Alvarez and the Mets have endured a very frustrating season. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Mets may not want to admit it publicly, but their 2026 season is essentially over. A late-night trade sending David Peterson to Chicago should be the first of many moves in what could be the second Flushing fire sale of the past four years, but things didn't need to reach that point.

While Mets officials indicated to Will Sammon of The Athletic that the Peterson trade was merely taking advantage of an opportunity to move a struggling pitcher who was going to be a free agent, the math speaks for itself. Wednesday night's embarrassing loss to the Cubs was the Mets' fifth in a row, dropping them 12 games below .500 and nine games out of a playoff spot entering play today.

Injuries to key players like Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Jorge Polanco, Clay Holmes and Luis Robert Jr. have certainly helped to short-circuit the season. Poor performance, particularly from a beleaguered starting rotation, has also prevented the Mets from going on the kind of sustained run they need to dig out of the massive hole they dug themselves in April.

Injuries to the likes of Francisco Lindor have played a role in the Mets' poor season-long performance. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Wednesday's game appeared to be a rock bottom moment for the Mets, who committed six infield errors in a game for the first time since 1962, which is not the kind of company any Mets team should want to be keeping. Fans were so frustrated at what they were watching that they openly started chanting for Pete Alonso, the franchise home run leader who walked as a free agent after last season, in the ninth inning.

It has become clear in hindsight that Stearns failed to adequately replace Alonso's power production, which has been a major factor in the offensive issues the Mets are experiencing. It is also true, however, that the team's issues are so pronounced that even Alonso's presence wouldn't be enough to fix the mess the Mets have created over the past year-plus.

How the Mets' response to April struggles set the stage for what was to come

Everyone remembers how badly the Mets finished the 2025 season, going 38-55 after June 12 to slip out of a playoff spot despite holding the best record in the league at that point. That collapse led to major changes in the offseason as Stearns shipped out many core players and overhauled the coaching staff in an effort to create a new vibe in Flushing.

It looked like the changes would work when the Mets ripped off seven wins in their first 11 games, but Soto's early injury helped set the stage for an alarming 12-game losing streak filled with crushing losses. The Mets couldn't even catch a break in the win to snap the skid as Lindor suffered a calf injury that cost him two months, which deflated morale to the point of a 3-6 home stand that included a sweep at the hands of the lowly Rockies.

The end result was a 9-19 April, which paired them with the Phillies at the bottom of the National League East. Philadelphia fired manager Rob Thomson, who had led the team to the playoffs every year and won two NL East titles (along with the 2022 pennant) since taking over for Joe Girardi in the middle of 2022, and the team responded by going 35-17 since.

That move woke up an underachieving team, telling the Phillies' players that their level of play to start the year was unacceptable, and Philadelphia is now playing up to its previously established level as a playoff contender. The Mets, on the other hand, opted to stay the course, keeping manager Carlos Mendoza and giving more runway to underperforming players.

Why accepting a mediocre April performance damaged the Mets

Stearns, who will likely get another year to fix this mess, hasn't been completely against trying things to wake up his club. A mid-May promotion of A.J. Ewing to the majors provided a spark, while Christian Scott showed good signs of being a key rotation piece before landing on the injured list this month.

The problem, however, is that Stearns and owner Steve Cohen have shown far too much patience for a team that has played like one of the worst in baseball for over a calendar year. Since the infamous June 12th game a year ago, the Mets have gone 71-99, good for a .421 winning percentage that rates among the worst in the league over that span.

Injuries have certainly played a role in limiting the Mets' options, but Stearns has been steadfast in his belief that the group he assembled is capable of turning it around with better play. That mentality, which could also be conflated with stubbornness, has led to a lot of complacency and extended opportunities for players who simply haven't performed at an acceptable level for the majors.

President of Baseball Operations David Stearns's mindset is a factor behind the Mets' struggles. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Mendoza has clearly been frustrated by what is going on, describing Wednesday's performance as "embarrassing" and noting that there is only so much he can do as the manager. While there have been some questionable decisions on Mendoza's part throughout the season, such as leaving a struggling Jonathan Pintaro in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader to put a 6-3 game out of reach, this is largely a player issue.

The lack of accountability from players and the front office towards them has created a culture in which there seems to be an irrational belief that things will simply click and turn around one day. Mark Vientos has spoken multiple times about how he believes in his ability to be a major contributor for the Mets, but he hasn't hit for nearly enough power and made multiple defensive mistakes late in Wednesday night's game.

Kodai Senga, who was recently demoted from the rotation to the bullpen, was also asked by The Athletic on Wednesday about whether he would accept a minor league assignment if asked by the team. Credit Senga for being honest: he said that he felt a minor league stint wouldn't help him solve his command issues, but it is quite generous for a pitcher with an ERA over 10 in seven starts to feel like he can dictate what is best for his performance.

There is also a question of whether the Mets respect their manager enough. Mendoza recently indicated after a game that he was upset his players were wasting challenges early in games, only for veteran Marcus Semien to burn one in the second inning the following day on an inconsequential pitch in the second inning.

Semien—who's since been placed on the IL—himself has become a symbol of the season, as he is the only player to start every game while delivering mediocre results both at the plate and in the field. When asked about his key errors on Wednesday night, Semien did take some responsibility for his miscues but didn't show much anger about his performance, noting that he was looking forward to getting back to the ballpark on Thursday to try and improve (h/t SNY_Mets).

Marcus Semien speaks about the Mets' two-loss day:

"I think today was a tough day all the way around... that's mostly what I'm thinking about, performing way under par today and I really just want to get back here tomorrow and play better baseball" pic.twitter.com/m65wux56rG

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 25, 2026

Semien is a veteran who has been through a lot and is likely used to flushing bad performances to move on quickly. The problem, however, is one of optics, as it looks like the Mets aren't taking their poor play seriously enough and simply hoping to flip a switch to start playing better.

This brings the question back to Cohen and Stearns. Cohen hasn't spoken publicly in weeks, infamously complaining that fans didn't use the free tickets he provided in April right before the 12-game skid, but Stearns has been regularly available and indicated that both he and Cohen are unhappy with the club's performance.

Saying you aren't happy is one thing. Acting on those feelings is another, and Mets fans are not oblivious to the fact that the team's performance has been awful for a long time, with seemingly no consequences for the manager or players.

Any moves the front office makes at this point, whether it is putting Mendoza out of his misery or moving on from underachieving players like Vientos and Senga, are likely to be performative, given the hole the Mets have dug themselves. It is fair to question. However, it is time for Stearns and Cohen to do something simply to show their fans that they aren't going to blindly accept the brand of baseball the Mets have displayed for over a calendar year now.