After disastrous 50 games, Mets ponder road ahead: 'Play better now'

WASHINGTON — This very nothing New York Mets season has reached the 50-game mark with only the faintest chance of becoming something. For now, that something is very ugly: The third team in major league history to miss the playoffs with a payroll north of $300 million – following in the footsteps of the 2023 and 2025 Mets . At 22-28, this squad heads to Miami this weekend in a battle for last place in the National League East, though with 12 1/2 games and three teams separating them from the Atlanta Braves , it’s best not to even peek until a significant reversal of fortune has occurred.

Looking back is already painful enough. “It’s all you can control: Playing better now,” Bo Bichette, their prized off-season acquisition, tells USA TODAY Sports. “You can’t control what’s already happened.

” What’s happened has been jarring: Devastating injuries mixed with heartwarming debuts. Underperforming superstars and soul-crushing blown leads. A sense of disbelief as division clubs like the Marlins and Washington Nationals – ranked 29 th and 27 th , respectively, in payroll – have outperformed their $357 million roster.

Behind the financial might of owner Steve Cohen and smarts of club president David Stearns, this was supposed to be a machine. Yet after an uneven winter’s worth of moves from Stearns, something resembling a worst-case scenario has emerged. The Mets rank 29 th in the majors in OPS, and while their pitching staff ranks fourth in strikeouts and 11 th in ERA, a bullpen that until recently blew more saves than they nailed down made consistency elusive.