Despite baseball’s most expensive roster and a league-worst record, a recent hot streak offers a glimmer of hope for New York’s star-studded squad to escape the cellar.
It hasn’t been anywhere close to the year the New York Mets thought they’d be having in 2026. Despite having the most aggressive offseason in baseball that brought a necessary shake-up to a roster that collapsed in 2025, the story hasn't been any better for the Mets this year.
As of Tuesday morning, New York sits at a record of 15-25 as we head into the middle of May. That’s enough to give the Mets the sole claim for the worst team in baseball with records worse than teams that entered the season with no hope, such as the Colorado Rockies or fellow National League East team, the Washington Nationals.
Still, the Mets are in a unique situation. All of the baseball world has been witness to how bad they’ve been this season, and their bottom-of-the-league record proves it, yet there’s nobody who would genuinely believe the Mets have the worst roster in baseball.
There are several stars on New York’s roster, many of which were added during the offseason. Still, nothing has clicked for the Mets yet. Instead, disappointing loss after disappointing loss has been the story of the season.
While they continue to prove just how low a team can go, they have avoided being ranked as the worst team in baseball in MLB.com’s latest power rankings. After previously being ranked at No. 29, the Mets have moved all the way up to No. 25.
The rise in the rankings comes as New York has won five of their last 10 games. Heading into a six-game home stand against the Detroit Tigers and the cross-town rival New York Yankees, the Mets will be hoping to come out of the week continuing their recent form.
So what is it about New York that has led to such a poor season despite heading in with all the expectations in the world? Well, many things, but let’s start with the offense.
The Mets have by far the worst OPS in baseball at .628, a massive .28 difference from the second-worst San Francisco Giants. They rank in the bottom five in the league for hits and doubles, while also having the lowest on-base percentage and runs batted in. Outside of Juan Soto, no Met with over 50 at-bats has an OPS over .700.
It’s pretty difficult to win games when you average less than 3.5 runs per game, but that’s exactly what the Mets are doing this season, despite spending a significant amount of money to bring in offensive-oriented players like Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco.
The pitching in New York has been much better than the offense, but outside of Nolan McLean, Freddy Peralta, and Clay Holmes, the starting rotation’s ability is very concerning. The bullpen has been okay, but free agent signing Devin Williams has been poor so far, only emphasizing the loss of closer Edwin Diaz.
Injuries have also played a role in the Mets’ abysmal start to the year. Soto missed a big chunk of time early on, and Francisco Lindor hit the IL soon after Soto returned. With this combination of injuries and struggles from their new players, the Mets have had to watch as the league laughs at them.
It’s been a disaster, but it truly can only go up from here. They’re already at the bottom of the league despite a payroll over $334 million. The only hope is that players such as Bichette, Marcus Semien, and Luis Robert Jr. can settle in and find themselves again while the others focus on being healthy. Only then can New York even have the possibility of making something out of the 2026 campaign.