Steve Cohen bought the New York Mets in November of 2020.
There was a lot of work that had to be done to clean up the mess left by the Wilpon family. After four seasons, things finally looked like they were taking shape. The 2024 season was the highest of highs. It was a season that got off to a slow start, but ultimately turned into the best season the Mets had in a while and a visit to the NLCS, where they got defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It was also a season where it felt the tide had turned. No more were the Mets the laughing stock of the league. Then during the off-season the team went out and signed superstar Juan Soto to a 15-year deal at close to $800 million dollars. Indeed, the Mets of the past were gone and the New Mets had arrived. Things were looking great heading into the 2025 season.
The Mets got off to a great start getting out to a 45-24 record with a lead in the National League East. That great start came to a halt on Father’s Day weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays came into Citi Field and dominated the Mets, then they took a trip down to Atlanta where again they looked like the Mets of the past, with Atlanta completely dominating with a sweep of the series. The Phillies were next and while the Mets were able to win the middle game of the series, it didn’t look like much of a match.
Atlanta came to Citi Field, taking the first two games of a four game set, then the Mets were able to win the final two games of the series. Okay, they had lost 9 of their last 12 and even good teams go through bad stretches. Winning the final two games of the series against the Braves was the turning point. The Mets headed into a 3-game set against the lowly 32-50 Pittsburgh Pirates.
The same Pittsburgh Pirates team that got off to such a bad start their manager Derek Shelton was fired on May 8. The same Pittsburgh Pirates team that aside from a brief period in the mid 2000s, have been a bad baseball team for a very long time with an owner who refuses to spend the money needed to field a competitive team.
PNC Park is a gem and the club has great history. Seeing the state the organization has been in over the last 30+ years is sad and everyone associated with decision making of the team during that time period should be ashamed.
Surely against that team the Mets would turn around their season and put all the panic of the last two weeks to bed. There was an aura of confidence among some in the fan base that this team, this group, which had such an amazing run in 2024 would turn around what was viewed as a “tough stretch.”
Pittsburgh’s ace Paul Skenes, perhaps the best pitcher in baseball wasn’t pitching in this series. The Pirates came into the series in the bottom four of major league baseball in runs scored. They have a good starting staff but their bullpen is full of mediocrity.
Yet the Mets were outscored 30-4 in this series. According to the run differential it is the worst series loss in franchise history. Combine that with the recent stretch of baseball this fan base has watched over the last two weeks and it’s an ugly time right now. The Mets have gone 3-12 in their last 15 games and are now 48-37 and there appears to be no end in sight.
The series in Pittsburgh is arguably the most embarrassing series played in the “Steve Cohen” era. It is certainly the most embarrassing series in the David Stearns/Carlos Mendoza era. This is the kind of series that was no longer supposed to happen. Sure, it’s baseball and teams go through the ups and downs of a season. Even good teams lose series they shouldn’t.
However, a series like this… where the Mets set a record for ineptitude…yeah these series aren’t supposed to happen anymore. Not with a $324 million payroll and not with how the Mets conduct business anymore. These kinds of series were supposed to be left in the “Wilpon era.”
Yet here we are where the leaders of this team called a team meeting on Saturday night at PNC Park because it’s gotten so bad. The next question is, what should happen next? It wasn’t just the losing in Pittsburgh, it was not even being competitive.
Here’s what should happen next – heads need to roll. People should be fired. Not Mendoza, although he is the captain of a sinking ship right now but everyone else should be on the team. I know I spoke up a week and a half ago about the hitting coaches and the idea of a change there, but maybe it’s time to wake up this team even further. Heck maybe other coaches should be looked at as well.
There is one thing I do know. When you get embarrassed and lose a really bad series, one thing is for sure. It’s time. It’s time for heads to roll. After this weekend in Pittsburgh, they deserve it.