BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JULY 10: The New York Mets logo on a bat weight during game two of a double header against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 10, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

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After the New York Mets endured a comeback loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, with their ongoing losing streak reaching a 12th consecutive defeat, platitudes about the season being early are no longer carrying much weight.

With the season still shy of 25 games, the 12-game skid has been bad enough to raise alarm bells in Queens.

“The nightmare in Flushing continued Tuesday night and it’s getting late early at Citi Field,” Dan Martin wrote for the New York Post. “It left the Mets at a new low point in 2026, with the worst record in the majors (7-16) and little reason for optimism that their fortunes will change anytime soon. No team has ever reached the playoffs after dropping 12 consecutive games.”

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New York Mets Lose Touted Prospect Pitcher To Retirement

After the team missed the playoffs last year, the Mets front office parted ways with several long-time stars and brought in a bevy of new players. Though it won’t be among the most pressing concerns for the team, some of those new players cost significant prospect capital to acquire in trades.

For instance, the team sent highly touted prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to the Milwaukee Brewers to acquire Freddy Peralta, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

And on Tuesday, news surfaced that the team has lost another future talent amid their big-league nightmare, with 24-year-old relief prospect Brett Banks opting to retire, according to the official transactions log.

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New York Mets Prospect Pitcher Brett Banks Suddenly Retires Just 3 Games Into Season

Banks was drafted by the Mets in 2023 and received a $200,000 bonus from the team shortly afterward. He has pitched in the Rookie League, High-A and Single-A, giving up no earned runs with eight strikeouts in three games for the Brooklyn Cyclones this season before hanging up his spikes.

It was not immediately clear what motivated Banks to leave the game at this point, as he seemed to be working his way up from a touted prospect status to a potential factor for the big-league team amid its struggles.

“Banks was a highly regarded prospect after his redshirt junior season with UNC Wilmington in 2022-23,” JP Hoornstra noted for The Big Lead. “If nothing else, Banks got to wear the Mets uniform last fall and again this spring. He was called up to the Mets’ major league camp for four Grapefruit League games, and did not allow a run in any of his four appearances out of the bullpen.”