The 2026 New York Mets’ struggles are ugly to watch, not just for their own fans, but for all of baseball as well. With April now in the books, the Mets sit at an ugly 10-21 record, which also featured an unprecedented 11-game losing streak and numerous blown leads. The lineup has serious holes around the infield, and the back of their rotation is either injured or performing poorly.
What’s being shown here is not just a masterclass of bad on-field management or just flat-out awful roster construction; this is the symptom of poor ownership and complacency. General Manager David Stearns deserves all the blame for not being diligent with designing a team to win or to get along in the clubhouse after games. Owner Steve Cohen, however, is not being blamed enough for his role in what could be the worst Mets team since the early 1990s.
New York Mets Struggles Stem From Reckless Spending And Unearned Ego
The Cohen era of the Mets began in November 2020, when the billionaire hedge-fund manager finally got the green light for his purchase of the team after being stopped earlier that year. Shortly after the takeover was finalized, he made a big promise to fans to bring a championship within a three to five-year timespan and create a “blueprint for winning.” He said if they didn’t, it would be “slightly disappointing.”
Cohen immediately opened his wallet and started throwing money everywhere: Trading for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco in 2021, and signing aging aces in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in 2022 and 2023, respectively. That also doesn’t include resigning Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo to the team. They even tried to get prized Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2023.
A fundamental issue lies with Cohen’s philosophy of money: If an owner throws enough money at a problem, it will go away eventually. There’s a larger issue at play from him, however, where he must throw money at the big-name guy rather than the money-efficient, chemistry-smart option. That philosophy did land them Juan Soto and Kodai Senga, but there have been few results to show for it.
In the five years the team’s been under Cohen’s leadership, they’ve finished with a losing record twice and flunked out in the wild-card round once. Outside of their magical 2024 postseason run, none of their seasons or high-profile signings have helped turn the team around. In fact, these high-profile signings have hurt them significantly.
The Mets’ tunnel-vision focus on bringing in big names has led to them losing talent in trades and in free agency. Three batters from their core of the 2024 season, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil, are all on different teams, while Juan Soto’s $765 million contract eats the payroll. Even the Marcus Semien trade was questionable due to his declining offensive production. They shipped infield prospect Jett Williams to the Milwaukee Brewers for Freddy Peralta, but the return on it is too early to grade.
Given Cohen’s willingness to spend and the team’s desire to win now, there’s no reason the team should have let any of those players walk in free agency or prompt a trade. That might signal a deeper problem within the team’s clubhouse culture than previously thought.
Mets Chemistry Issues Could Cause Serious Shakeup Soon
The secret behind the 2024 Mets run was all about the chemistry on the team, the camaraderie, and the unity within that clubhouse. Led by infielder Jose Iglesias and his “OMG” anthem, players centered around a figurehead and competed together on the field. When the roster suddenly started falling apart and the team struggled, he pointed out the issue right away.
The former Mets hypeman and infielder told the New York Post that the team was missing him, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, and pitcher Jose Quintana from the clubhouse. He noted that the team had a “special connection” and that there was no person-to-person competition. That chemistry was present throughout the offseason, even going back to spring training.
In 2026, there’s a notable lack of a true leader in the clubhouse with Iglesias and Martinez no longer on the roster. Bo Bichette hasn’t really done anything, Lindor is constantly pegged as the source of drama, and manager Carlos Mendoza seems to be on autopilot. In fact, the status quo is so rooted in the clubhouse that Bichette is just shrugging off any slump the team is in right now.
Worse for fans and perhaps the direction of the franchise, Stearns and Cohen believe Mendoza was not an issue for the team and even doubled down on his status. The duo publicly backed the manager in an interview with MLB.com on Friday night, stating the team had no reason to make a change.
An argument for Mendoza could be made, given that he did oversee the team’s 2024 run and has little say in roster construction. He does hold responsibility for getting the players united and ready to roll on the field, however. If the team continues to struggle throughout the season, there’s a strong chance Cohen might have to walk back those comments. At the end of the day, however, the owner must look in the mirror and ask himself, “What is going on with my team, and what have I done wrong?”
