The New York Mets have officially entered what Jon Heyman of the New York Post calls “borderline historical” collapse territory. In his latest column, the veteran insider didn’t pull punches, painting a picture of a $340 million roster stumbling toward one of the most infamous late-season meltdowns in franchise history, with only one possible way out.
Heyman notes that the Mets haven’t beaten anyone other than the equally disappointing San Francisco Giants since July 22, losing 11 of their last 12 games and watching a once-promising season spin out of control. This was baseball’s best team at 45-24 just two months ago. They own the third-worst record in the league over that stretch, better than only the Rockies and Nationals.
Cohen Still Believes—For Now
Despite the carnage, owner Steve Cohen keeps the faith, texting Heyman, “I still believe in our team, and they will turn it around. LGM.” His optimism is admirable, but belief alone won’t fix the cracks Heyman laid bare.
The Mets’ issues are everywhere. Once a strength, the rotation has just one starter—David Peterson—who can get through six innings regularly. That overwork has drained the bullpen, and a scout told Heyman it has been stretched thin by short starts from everyone except Peterson, Sean Manaea, and occasionally Kodai Senga.
Defensively, they’ve been “remarkably average,” as Heyman put it, even on good days. And the lineup, which Francisco Álvarez boldly predicted in the spring would be “the best in baseball,” sits at a dead-even 16th in runs scored. It’s not that they can’t hit; they can’t hit when it matters.
The numbers for the so-called “core four” are particularly damning. Francisco Lindor is hitting just .243, while Brandon Nimmo, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso have all gone ice-cold simultaneously. “Can’t win with no production from those four,” a scout told Heyman.
Heyman’s One Solution
So what’s the one thing Heyman says could help them? It isn’t a blockbuster trade—because the deadline already passed. It’s not another players-only meeting—the Pittsburgh version earlier this summer didn’t move the needle, and it’s not shuffling the lineup—they’ve tried that, too.
According to Heyman and those he’s spoken to, the answer is simply this: the Mets have to play better. That means better defense, smarter pitching, and tougher at-bats. It sounds obvious, even cliché, but in Heyman’s view, no tactical move or prospect call-up will matter if the team’s stars keep underperforming and the fundamentals keep slipping.
Forty-four games remain, and Heyman points out that the “backs of their baseball cards” suggest better days lie ahead. A scout quoted in the column doesn’t see the slide continuing, noting the Mets are still eight games over .500 and have “picked themselves off the mat before.”
But Heyman also leaves room for doubt, warning that even the easiest fixes can go undone without a sense of urgency in the clubhouse. If the Mets are truly as upset as their fans, they’ll have to prove it on the field soon. Otherwise, 2025 could join 2007, 2008, and 1998 in the team’s catalog of unforgettable collapses.
Mets’ $340M Roster on Brink of Infamous Collapse, Insider Warns