The 2023 Mets have been governed by Murphy's Law.
Just about everything has gone wrong for the most expensive MLB team money could buy, and it all culminated with a major sell-off at the trade deadline. After posting 101 wins in 2022, this version of the Mets would need much more than 162 games to reach that total.
They've traded big names and are left with a team that will limp to the finish, forced to watch the postseason on television and nowhere near the goal of winning a World Series. The $344 million roster has now been relegated to just $140,477,411 in active payroll. That number is $16 million less than the team is paying to players not on the roster — $156,495,419, according to Spotrac.
MORE: Where Mets' former player payroll would rank among MLB teams
It's no secret that fans in Queens are upset with the results they've seen on the field.
And the team's owners, Steve and Alex Cohen, want fans to know they hear them. Mets season ticket holders received an unlikely email in their inbox on Friday evening: an apology from ownership.
Got an apology email from Steve and Alex Cohen lol pic.twitter.com/kbXgGknVhW
— Princess Gefilte Fish (@TheChelseaStern) August 4, 2023
"When our players arrived in Port St. Lucie for spring training, you had high expectations for the club and so did we," the email reads in part. "We added several key pieces to our team, but things have not turned out how we planned. You are rightfully disappointed and so are we."
The email went on to reiterate the team's goal of building sustainable success, starting with improving the farm system. The Mets roster originally boasted the two highest-paid players in baseball — Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander — who have since been shipped to the AL West.
But Cohen's willingness to spend helped the club acquire high-level prospects in return for them, which will almost certainly expedite the rebuild. They now have prospects such as Luisangel Acuna and Drew Gilbert, who will help them in the near and distant future.
In speaking with the media following the deadline, Cohen said he is committed to having a plan, saying, "Hope is not a strategy."
"If you're gonna have a 12% of getting into the playoffs, those are pretty crummy odds. I wouldn't want to be betting any money on that, and I don't think anybody else would, either. Hope's not a strategy."
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 2, 2023
- Steve Cohen pic.twitter.com/ih5XuLqNvc
He later said he believes the Mets will be competitive in 2024, despite Scherzer suggesting the organization would punt the season.
MORE: Max Scherzer says Mets' decision to rebuild led to Rangers trade
"The expectations were really high this year, and my guess is next year will be a lot lower. ... I don't want to roll a team out there that we're gonna be embarrassed by," he said.
"The expectations were really high this year, and my guess is next year will be a lot lower... I don't want to roll a team out there that we're gonna be embarrassed by."
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 2, 2023
Steve Cohen says he thinks the Mets will be "highly competitive" next season: pic.twitter.com/O7x5v4lUjb
Cohen doubled down on those comments in the apology email.
"We promise you, we will work hard to field a competitive team in 2024," Cohen wrote. "Our core group of experienced players including Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Díaz, plus supplementation in the free agent market, will allow us to put together a formidable team next season."
The performances on the field have suggested the Mets found rock bottom in 2023. They'll put it to the test when the first pitch is thrown next March.
