The New York Mets: Consummate Unprofessionals

You’d think the New York Mets would eventually get tired of losing.

But apparently, that’s not the case.

Sure, the Mets won 101 games last year, but clearly, that was the exception to an otherwise disastrous rule. Don’t be fooled by their run to the 2015 World Series, either. The Mets went 36-19 in August and September, the difference between a postseason berth and another playoff-less season. 

Since then, the Queens residents have gone 573-563. That record is respectable enough to think the Mets still have a chance but not good enough to believe they can actually compete. The end result is a franchise that continues to try to put out a house on fire with a garden hose. 

Mets fans need to shake the disillusion of being competitive and realize it’s time to tear things down.

Same Mistakes

Perennially, New York’s other franchise ranks as one of the worst underachieving teams in the bigs. When Steve Cohen bought the team, he committed to spending enough money to keep them competitive. 

It’s the same strategy we’ve seen fail the San Diego Padres. And Texas Rangers. And Los Angeles Angels. And Los Angeles Dodgers. And New York Yankees. 

Granted, the latter two have experienced some success. But there are fundamental differences between the Mets and Yankees or Dodgers farm teams.

The Bronx Bombers and LA have done an exceptional job building from within, using the pipeline to develop MLB talent. Clayton Kershaw, Aaron Judge, Max Muncy, and Nestor Cortes are just a few of the names that came up through the system, helping their respective franchises compete. They will eventually give way to Anthony Volpe, James Outman, Clarke Schmidt, Bobby Miller, et al., perpetuating the sustainable churn.

With talented pieces in place, the Yankees and Dodgers brought in skilled veterans to complement a young core. Conversely, the Mets are spending money on top talents, hoping the rest falls into place.

Burning Cash

No team has ever spent more than the Mets have this season. Between their 26-man payroll, injured reserve, retained salaries, and buried, New York will spend over $345 million on big league personnel. That’s more than the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, and Miami Marlins combined, all of whom have more conceivable paths to the postseason than the Mets. 

Things get even more depressing on a per-win basis. Heading into August, New York has 50 wins and a .476 winning percentage. Extrapolating that over the course of a 162-game season, the Mets are poised to end the campaign with 77 wins, or roughly $4.5 million per victory.

It’s not like New York didn’t see this coming. Since 2017, the Mets have ranked top ten in spending, with a lone playoff appearance to show for their efforts. Worse, they’ve finished below .500 in four of six seasons and are on pace to make it five of seven. 

If they haven’t learned already, burning cash is not the solution to their problems. 

Doomed Failure

Until the Mets recognize that building from the ground up is the way to grow a sustainable franchise, they’re doomed to make the same mistakes. 

With the non-waiver deadline just days away and moves available through August, the Mets need to acquire foundational pieces to build from the ground up. New York has several elite playmakers they can move on from, replacing them with draft picks and prospects. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and they also didn’t try to buy their dynasty.

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