After Uneven Offseason, Mets A Mess As They Begin Pivotal Road Trip

Q: What issues are the New York Mets facing at the start of the season?

The Mets are struggling due to poor offseason decisions, including signing infielders to unfamiliar positions.

Q: How has the Mets' offseason affected their performance?

The offseason moves have led to a rocky start, with the team showing signs of disarray early in the season.

Q: Is it too early to panic about the Mets' season performance?

Yes, experts believe it is too early to panic as the season is just beginning and the competition is tightly packed.

Q: What are the expectations for the Mets during their upcoming road trip?

The Mets are expected to improve their performance during the pivotal road trip, although their current form raises concerns.

New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) scores a one-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

I had a lot to say about the Mets’ eventful offseason, and most of it wasn’t very positive. I mean, what could go wrong - give a ton of money to a couple of infielders and put them at positions they’ve never played before. What could go wrong?

It’s really, really early, and the entire NL East - and most of baseball for that matter - has been compressed into a tight little ball, so it’s way too early to panic. But man, these Mets certainly have quacked like a duck so far.

The club actually got off to a nice start, but their current six game losing streak places them at 7-10, at the bottom of the division. They’ve been outscored 34 to 9 in those six games, and it was even uglier than that, if at all possible. Their biggest star, Juan Soto, is out another week or so with a hamstring injury, so the cavalry isn’t on the way, unless Tommy Pham qualifies.

And things certainly don’t get easier anytime soon, as they began a six-game road swing against the Dodgers last night. (They also play the Cubs before returning home.)

There are no such things as “must” games or series in April, but the Mets simply must start to play better soon, or things could get ugly. Amid the rubble of their recent play, there are some reasons for optimism. Let’s take a quick look at the good, bad (and some ugly) of the April Mets.

POSITIVES

Some of the offseason acquisitions have looked good. Closer Devin Williams has been untouched to date. There haven’t been all that many tough spots to place him into just yet, but he’s been fine. CF Luis Robert Jr. has shown surprising plate discipline thus far, and has looked physically fit while showing flashes of his power/speed potential.

The rotation has been a strength on balance, despite the struggles of David Peterson and Kodai Senga. Rookie Nolan McLean has been quite good (I’m on record as a relative skeptic), and Clay Holmes has done his ground-balling/keep the pitch count down and give you length thing. Freddy Peralta has been up and down, but has shown his typical swing and miss stuff while struggling to go deep into games.

Catcher Francisco Alvarez looks like he might be about to deliver on his considerable potential. He’s carried the bulk of the load behind the plate and leads the club with four homers. Of course, the glass half-empty folks will emphasize that he has exactly four RBI, but I’m not pinning that on Alvarez.

NEGATIVES

Most of the major offseason acquisitions have not looked very good. 1B/DH Jorge Polanco and 3B Bo Bichette have, to be kind, struggled. The former has fought a nagging Achilles injury all season and has largely been limited to DH duty to date. Bichette was expected to need an adjustment period defensively, but to hit from the get-go. He’s been a free-swinging automatic out so far.

New 2B Marcus Semien, acquired for productive LF Brandon Nimmo, just looks washed. His game is admittedly a subtle one, built around durability and making the trains run on time, but he looks like merely an adequate defender and an automatic out at this point in his career.

But those guys haven’t been the Mets’ biggest issues to date. SS Francisco Lindor simply looks lost out there. Slumps at the plate happen, but this one appears to have gotten into Lindor’s head. He’s lost concentration on multiple plays in the field, and hasn’t contributed positively in any meaningful way. When Soto’s in the lineup and producing, the Mets can endure a bad stretch from Lindor. But he’s stood out like a sore thumb over the last week.

So where is this thing headed? This might actually be a good time for the Mets to be away from home. Slog it out, work the kinks out against a couple of talented teams on the road, and have something to build upon once they return home.

The Phillies have struggled every bit as much as the Mets (they’re on their way to getting their own article next week) and the entire division is bunched up. Lindor will play better. Rookie OF Carson Benge will either pick it up a bit or give up playing time to Pham. The other struggling vets will either stabilize or force the front office to make some hard decisions.

I’m still not sanguine about the Mets’ offseason moves. Their roster still resembles an expensive Island of Misfit Toys. But if they can still be hovering around .500 once Soto returns to the lineup, the Mets will be in position to potentially make some noise as the weather (and the bats) begins to warm up.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com