NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 14: Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets looks on from the dugout prior to a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on September 14, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)
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The New York Mets earned a much-needed extra-innings win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, but they’ve still got a lot of work to do if they want to turn their season around.
Even after a second win in a row, the Mets have the second worst record in the National League despite leading all of Major League Baseball in payroll this year.
Though there’s plenty of blame to go around in Queens for the debacle so far, most of it seems to rest with president of baseball operations David Stearns, who cut ties with several long-time stars and brought in new ones before the season started, only to see the team take a step back overall.
“Start with Pete Alonso. When the Mets let Alonso walk rather than committing to a long-term deal, Stearns replaced him at first base with Jorge Polanco, a player who has been perpetually unavailable due to injury,” NJ.com’s Advance Local Express Desk noted on Wednesday. “The numbers paint a grim picture. A massive payroll. A team with a 16-25 record. A fanbase running out of patience.”
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Stearns also parted ways with roster staples like Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Diaz, while bringing in Freddy Peralta, Luis Robert Jr., Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien. But as fans grow more frustrated with the season, the departure of Alonso might mark the biggest gripe for many.
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As the new players struggle with injury, fans will recall that Alonso was a bastion of consistency in his tenure. And, as a homegrown slugger, he will sit atop the franchise’s all-time home run leaderboard for a long time. Last year, he earned an All-Star nod and a Silver Slugger Award, and publicly expressed his interest in returning on a new contract, but Stearns still wasn’t willing to pay him as much as he earned to leave for the Baltimore Orioles.
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“Those two guys are some of the biggest conservatives I played for, as well as with Jacob DeGrom,” Syndergaard told Outkick’s Tomi Lahren when asked about the Mets’ decisions to cut ties with Alonso and Nimmo. “They wanted out of the craziness that’s going on in New York.”
Syndergaard, who pitched for the Mets for six seasons and earned an All-Star nod in 2016, also detailed the political makeup of the Mets roster overall.
“The clubhouse with the Mets is kind of on the liberal side,” he added.
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