Where have the Mets Gone?

The New York Mets are terrible. I mean, TERRIBLE. I had long warned against the signing of Juan Soto before they signed him. The high salary he's being paid every year is a large burden for any team. What were they thinking? That they were signing a Dominican Shohei Ohtani?

Spending actually worked for the Mets for a couple of years, in 2024-2025; however, even though they had a winning season in 2025, they missed the playoffs, which couldn't be counted as a successful season regardless of having a winning record. Practically, in essence, not making the playoffs can only be described as a failure. Indeed, for a team with such a high payroll, it's utterly pathetic.

In 97 games in 2026, they are hitting .234, have scored 404 runs, and have an OPS 91 points below the league average. Combine that with weak performances from the pitching staff since 2023, which led Scherzer and Verlander, two former greats in their own right, to be traded halfway through that season. There were high expectations for that duo, and they didn't click for some reason, with some believing that age had something to do with it. Justin Verlander only made 16 starts with the team in 2023, pitching 94.1 innings, while Max Scherzer did even worse with an ERA of 4.01 in 19 starts and 107.2 innings. Then, it just went spiraling down ever since. In terms of numbers, they rank 22nd in runs with 396 and 26th in batting average. Massive budget for a lower-tier team.

The team just looks lost. They lack discipline, approach, and creativity. For them to be behind early in the game would mean they will most likely lose the game.

The Mets, for some reason, keep playing Juan Soto in the outfield. He is much better as a designated hitter, which he is great at. With a .287/.407/.547 slash line, he would be considered elite and one of the best in the game. These numbers are enough to make anyone forget his terrible defense. Yankee fans didn't mind that. They embraced him nonetheless. It seemed as if he may have made the wrong decision when he was a free agent if the goal was to win. He's one of the great hitters today, but spending that much cash on one player would most certainly stifle any team's development. In other words, some of that cash would have been better spent on player development, a field the Mets are terrible at, despite Juan Soto's greatness at the plate. It may have been the right move for the Mets if the goal was to acquire a great hitter, but having no players around him to allow him to win was just the wrong move. They didn't even have a plan to replace Pete Alonso. They could have at least considered Munetaka Murakami, who went to the White Sox of all teams. If they can't even scout him, there's a problem.

In contrast, the Tampa Bay Rays, one of the lowest payroll teams, ranking 28th out of 30 teams at $108,967,407 for the 2026 season, are number one in their division with a 57-42 record as of the writing of this article. They are outperforming teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox, both of which have a higher payroll than they do.

Unlike the Mets, the Rays are doing everything right in terms of player development, scouting, team chemistry, and blending offense and defense in harmony like a Zen master. They lead the American League in batting average at .260. They are a team that can win with small ball and, at times, even with power.

Junior Caminero, Chandler Simpson, Shane McClanahan, Taj Bradley, Curtis Mead, and Isaac Paredes. Sound familiar? They are all homegrown talent. Now, if I do the same with the Mets, no one really sticks out. As a curator of a baseball website, I'm actually quite baffled. The Mets built their roster through contracts, which isn't sustainable by any means. They are suffering now because of that. It's as if they suddenly gathered together, drew random names, and decided to offer anyone who is a big name a contract. There seems to be no standard under which they base decisions. This is what makes this entire predicament so confusing. A team with hardly any cash, like the Rays, outperforming a giant-market team like the Mets is enough to make any Mets fan concerned.

With a possible lockout coming before the 2027 MLB season, teams like the Mets and the Rays are going to be affected. This would force the Rays to increase spending to $171.2 million while forcing the Mets to decrease spending to $245.3 million. Along with these changes, owners also want a 50/50 share of revenue with players, which actually sounds reasonable if a salary cap isn't involved. Players, on the other hand, want earlier free agency, higher minimum pay, more arbitration rights, a higher luxury tax threshold, and most importantly, no salary cap. If no compromise is reached, the possibility of a lockout is going to increase, especially right after the 2026 MLB season.

In conclusion, the Mets and the Rays are two organizations with two different standards for observing talent, going on two different paths: one is winning, and the other is losing.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Mets are bad in 2026 despite a massive payroll.

• Juan Soto’s contract + defense = major liability.

• Offense is bottom‑tier: .234 AVG, 22nd in runs, 26th in batting average.

• Pitching collapsed after the Scherzer–Verlander era.

• The team has no identity, no discipline, no direction.

• Meanwhile, the Rays thrive with elite development and a tiny payroll.