New York Mets Picking Up Where They Left Off In 2023
The New York Mets were one of baseball's most disappointing teams in 2023, with a record high payroll setting sky-high expectations. Those expectations came nowhere close to being fulfilled, however, as the Mets finished 7-19 in the month of June before collapsing to a 75-87 record and a fourth-place finish in the NL East, 29 games behind the Atlanta Braves.
Around the 2023 trade deadline, the Mets sold off most of their expensive players; Justin Verlander to the Astros, Max Scherzer to the Rangers, Mark Canha to the Brewers, David Robertson to the Marlins and Eduardo Escobar to the Los Angeles Angels.
The team then fired manager Buck Showalter, replacing him with Carlos Mendoza and committing to playing its younger players and making smaller, targeted acquisitions. Along with the return of closer Edwin Diaz from injury, the Mets and their fans entered 2024 with hopes that they'd start the new season in a much better position than 2023.
Well two games in, that has conclusively not been the case.
New York - Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Abner Uribe gestures towards the New York Mets dugout after recording a save in a 7-6 victory at Citi Field on March 30. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Milwaukee Brewers Put Damper On Mets' Expectations
On Friday, the Mets opened their season at Citi Field against the Brewers, and managed just one hit against Freddy Peralta, Trevor Megill, Joel Payamps and Abner Uribe in a 3-1 loss.
They did, however, manage to clear the benches for the first time of the season after a questionable slide by Rhys Hoskins.
On Saturday, things got better offensively, but new pitching acquisition Luis Severinio was, well, terrible. Severino gave up 12 hits in five innings with six earned runs allowed. Given the amount of baserunners and hits, six runs could have been considered a success. The Mets bullpen allowed another run, in between throwing at Hoskins in the seventh inning.
To their credit, the Mets' offense refused to give up, making it a close 7-6 final score on Saturday. But it doesn't change the result; another loss and an 0-2 start.
Obviously, it's extremely early, and losing two in a row isn't cause for panic. But when you're trying to turn over a new leaf and hit the ground running to start a new season, it's the opposite of what you want to see.
At least their scoreboard has jokes.