By Eddie Castro
We are a little over three weeks into the Major League Baseball season and there have been a few surprises already to begin the season. Teams that were expected to run the table in their respective divisions are off to slow starts and teams that had losing records last year find themselves knocking on the door for first place. The one team that had a collapse last year but was expected to show signs of improvement coming into the 2026 season was the New York Mets. It is safe to say it has been April showers for the team so far.
About 2 weeks ago, their star player Juan Soto went down with a calf strain. Since then, the Mets have struggled to score runs. Soto’s replacements have not been productive during his absence, but again, it is unfair to ask anyone to fill in the shoes of a Juan Soto.
The defense, which was supposed to be a significant upgrade for the Mets with newly acquired players such as Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette. Francisco Lindor who is well known for his bat and exceptional play at shortstop has had some rare uncharacteristic miscues at the position in the early going.
To put it simply, the Mets’ offense needs Juan Soto back in the worst way. New York ranks 29th in the majors in runs scored per game at 3.27, second to last in that category only to the Kansas City Royals. They’re 29th in WRC+ (weighted runs created plus) and 27th in extra base hits.
In fact, their most recent three-game set in LA against the defending champion Dodgers, the Mets only scored three runs on 12 hits and struck out 27 times as a team. All of this has led to a current 12-game losing streak as we go to press and fans are wondering if Manager Carlos Mendoza has already lost the locker room in just his second year as skipper of the Mets.
If you are a Mets fan, the word patience is not a word you want to hear. It’s just the New York fan way. It is well-documented New York sports fans tend to be spoiled and expect fast results especially with players that come with the big name and contract. The season is still young even though this current Mets team more than likely provided an extra grey hair or two.
For this team to have this high payroll and no results is inexcusable, which is why Met fans need to be optimistic. The bright spots so far have been Francisco Alvarez and Luis Robert Jr. Have been some bright spots thus far. Lindor will pick things up. As Mets fans are accustomed to knowing, he is a notorious slow starter out of the gates. The hope is that Bo Bichette will figure out the holes in Citi Field. He is without a doubt one of the best contact hitters in baseball. He is for sure here the boos rating him down now.
Although Marcus Semien is not the player, he once was in Oakland and his early days in Texas, he is more than capable of contributing to a team at this point in his career. All three players are scheduled to make a combined $102.1 million for the 2026 season. Obviously, this current losing streak has a lot to do with pitching as well. Freddy Peralta has pitched like an ace despite his current 4.05 ERA. He has struck out 28 batters in 26.2 innings pitched.
He’s also allowed three runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. His teammate the young phenom Nolan McLean is proving that his short-season performance last year is no fluke. The 24-year-old right-hander is showing he is here to stay and has been nothing short of dominant. He has a 2.2. ERA in four starts this year and he recently became just the third pitcher since 1900 to have 80 strikeouts with 20 or fewer runs in his first 12 career starts (Matt Harvey and Paul Skenes). McLean has a career ERA of 2.13 in 12 career starts ranking second in franchise history.
In his recent start against the Dodgers, he pitched a beauty, throwing 7 innings and allowing just 1 run while striking out 8. Unfortunately, the offense did not provide him with much run support to seal the win for him. We shall see if the Mets can still build on improvement this year once Soto returns to the lineup. As we go to press, the team currently has a win-loss record of 7-15, the worst record in the league.
Sports Notes: (Basketball): As we go to press, the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks’ playoff series is tied at a game apiece. New York will now head to a hostile State Farm arena in Atlanta for Game 3. (Football): The 2026 NFL draft is live tonight. The Jets have the No. 2 and No 16 overall picks, while the Giants now have the 5th and 10th overall picks after trading defensive end Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals. Will both beloved New York teams strike gold in the draft?
(Baseball): The Yankees will close out a three-game set with the division rival the Boston Red Sox, while the Mets look to turn things around as they conclude their three-game set with the Minnesota Twins. Both teams are in action tonight. After a few weeks away due to the birth of my daughter, Sports Talk With Eddie returns with an All-new episode. Call in live during the show at 917-319-5481 as there is a lot to cover in the New York sports world.