The Mets’ terrible 16-25 record has fans pointing fingers at the front office. The proverbial “green shoots” that Steve Cohen saw in April have still not materialized. As critics point fingers towards ownership and front office failures, an ex-Mets pitcher recounted just how bad things were before Cohen.
“The Mets still were kind of a s–tshow with Jeff Wilpon running the show,” said Noah Syndergaard on ‘Tomi Lahren is Fearless’ on Outkick, per the NY Post.
Noah ‘Thor’ Syndergaard spent six MLB seasons with the Mets. He made it to the postseason twice with the Mets— in 2015, his rookie year, and in 2016. As a rookie, he also made it to the World Series, posting a 3.32 ERA in four outings, recording 26 strikeouts in the playoffs.
The flame-throwing right-hander stayed in Manhattan, New York, during his time with the Mets. On the Outkick show, he reflected on how life in the Big Apple impacted him.
“I was one of the only ones — with the exception of [Matt] Harvey — that lived in Manhattan, and I wanted to embrace the city as much as possible. I think they embraced me back. It was my home for six years,” remarked Syndergaard. “I just love the grit and tenacity and the heart and the drive that surrounds the culture of the people of New York. The saying is if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. It definitely molded me as a human being.”
The majority of Syndergaard’s Mets tenure was with Jeff Wilpon as the COO, until Cohen bought the team in 2020 for $2.4 billion. The s—tshow that the Wilpon era was, per Syndergaard, featured a culture of micromanagement and questionable decisions.
In his book ‘Pedro’, Pedro Martinez wrote that Jeff Wilpon forced him to pitch despite an injury during the 2005 season. Martinez revealed that he was forced to pitch in a September game with a toe injury despite the Mets being out of the playoff race.
The pandemic-shortened season saw the end of the Wilpon era, after the Mets failed to qualify for the playoffs for four straight seasons.
Jeff Wilpon had inherited the team’s ownership from his father, Fred Wilpon. So, the general sentiment around the ownership change was that Cohen would liberate the Mets and care more about winning.
“You build champions. You don’t buy them,” Cohen had reportedly said.
The Mets have not yet seen those championships five seasons later, and the hopes of reaching one are fading this year.
Noah Syndergaard calls out the Mets’ disappointing performance
During his appearance on “Tomi Lahren is Fearless” on Outkick, Noah Syndergaard also weighed in on the Mets’ disappointing performance so far this season. He highlighted that the high payroll did not translate into on-field success for the Mets.
“I hate saying it, but at the end of the day, the Mets are gonna Met. I think I’m allowed to kind of say it because I bled orange and blue for eight years, made it to the World Series with them,” stated Syndergaard. “Just kind of disappointed to see… the lack of success that they’re having. Just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. They have a huge payroll, and it’s not gonna pay dividends for them.”
The team’s current form is dismal. The front office spent nearly $250 million this offseason, trading for stars like Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr., and Freddy Peralta. Their total payroll is well over $375 million. Their Opening Day payroll of $367.9 million ranked second to that of the defending World Series champions and notorious spenders, the Los Angeles Dodgers ($410.8 million).
Even with all that money, they suffered a humiliating 12-game losing streak in April, their longest since 2002. They are struggling with a 16-25 record at the bottom of the NL East. The Mets have also scored just 149 runs, the second-worst in the league.
The Mets dropped eight series over their first 41 games. They lost to seven different teams: the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Athletics, Dodgers, Cubs, Rockies, and Nationals. After destroying the Tigers 10-2 in the recent series opener, the Mets would look to clinch the series on Wednesday.
