It’s not looking like a great year to be a Mets fan. And that may be an understatement.
A Fanbase Left Reeling
The past few weeks have delivered gut-punch after gut-punch to a fanbase already bracing for a retooling year, but few could have predicted the kind of mass exodus currently unfolding in Queens. First came the shock of losing Brandon Nimmo, a homegrown outfielder whose on-base consistency and clubhouse presence had made him a staple of the franchise. Then Edwin Díaz, arguably the best closer in baseball when healthy, was snatched away after the Mets were reportedly outbid by the Dodgers by just a few million. But it was the departure of Pete Alonso, the Polar Bear himself, that truly shook the fanbase to its core.
Alonso’s move to Baltimore, via a massive five-year deal, felt less like a tough-but-necessary business decision and more like a white flag being hoisted. The Mets didn’t just lose a star slugger; they lost a symbol of their recent identity, a power-hitting cornerstone who had made it clear he wanted to stay. And yet, the front office barely blinked, declining to seriously counter the Orioles’ offer.
Mets Tone-Deaf Timing Adds Salt to the Wound
In that context, the team’s oddly timed Spring Training promotion, posted barely 24 hours after Alonso’s departure, read more like satire than savvy marketing. “Come watch… who, exactly?” fans joked online. The comment sections practically combusted.
This is not the kind of offseason fans envisioned when billionaire Steve Cohen bought the team, promising to turn the Mets into a perennial contender. The Mets’ 83–79 finish last year may have warranted some level of recalibration, but as NL East rivals pour resources into elite talent, New York’s current strategy appears passive, if not entirely aimless.
Words That Hit Too Close to Home
Analyst and former Met Ron Darling put it bluntly: “You’ve now paid Soto $765 million to walk 150 times next year,” he quipped, referring to the league-wide spending spree that has somehow skipped over Flushing.
Of course, the offseason isn’t over. There’s still time. But time alone doesn’t win ballgames. Action does. And right now, the Mets seem content to let the market, and their fans’ patience, run out.
