Based On How 2026 Season Has Gone, How Will Mets Go About Next Offseason?
The New York Mets have the worst record in Major League Baseball after overhauling one-third of its roster during the offseason and a lockout may be looming.
The New York Mets have had the worst season in Major League Baseball up to this point, boasting a 15-25 record. It has included a miserable 12-game losing streak and the vibes surrounding this hodgepodge team are very low. President of Baseball Operations David Stearns had a clear vision and offseason plan after a disappointing 2025 season saw the Mets have the best record in baseball in mid-June just to miss the playoffs.
The plan was to improve the team’s defense and pitching staff, citing “run prevention” as the way to avoid the disaster that was the second-half Mets a season ago. So, Stearns overhauled nearly one-third of the team’s 26-man roster and got rid of several longtime fan favorites in favor of better defenders. Unfortunately, while the defense actually hasn’t been as bad as many would have thought with shortstop Bo Bichette playing third base and infielder Jorge Polanco (who is currently on the injured list with multiple injuries) playing some first base, the offense has taken a massive hit, no pun intended.
The Mets haven’t been fully healthy for much of the season, but even when this team had all of its new acquisitions playing, the return wasn’t good. The pitching staff was horrendous for a while but is now a top 10 unit in terms of ERA; the bullpen is still questionable, especially with how closer Devin Williams performed in the early going, but he has started to settle in as of late. New York traded for ace right-hander Freddy Peralta this past offseason, and while he has been pitching better recently, the two-time All-Star hasn’t consistently pitched deep into games and hasn’t been the guy the Mets need.
Peralta’s name is now appearing in trade rumors and he’s a free agent after this season, so unless the Mets turn it around in the next few weeks, Peralta may be repping a different team later this season. Given how poorly this season has gone, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel broke down how the Mets may go about its business after this season. “…But they have a little over $71 million likely to come off the books, with Bichette's potential opt-out of a $42 million salary a big variable not included in that figure,” McDaniel wrote Monday.