When the 2026 season began, the Mets lost just four of their first 11 games. Now, three months later, they find themselves at the bottom of the NL East, sitting 15.5 games behind the division-leading Braves. Naturally, fans have almost stopped expecting anything at this point. They had been urging the front office to part ways with the manager, and it eventually showed Carlos Mendoza the door. But the Mets are still far from solving their problems, and owner Steve Cohen recently addressed the team’s current state.

“I’m extremely worried. I mean, and what you know what’s important. Okay. I mean, I think good teams develop players have a pipeline of players. When we looked at it last year, we were generally feeling pretty good about our farm system. We’ve had regression in our farm system. Now I’m told that development isn’t linear,” Cohen revealed to Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on The Show on Wednesday. 

Players like Nolan McLean, AJ Ewing, and Christian Scott, among others, were good additions to the roster last year. But Cohen acknowledged that that has not been the case for 2026. 

“Between signings where we couldn’t get the players on the field and some lack of performance from some of our younger players, it set us back,” the owner added. “And so when you think about, okay, where is the help going to come from? It’s really concerning to me.”

Notably, experienced players like Kodai Senga and the younger core, including Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio, haven’t performed anywhere near expectations. Senga has a 9.09 ERA and is struggling with a 0-7 record. 

Baty has a .590 OPS, Vientos is batting at .209, and 25-year-old Mauricio has managed only 2 RBIs in 15 games. 

Then there’s Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. 

Lindor was projected as the leader for the New York side, but the 32-year-old has been sidelined most of the season with a left calf strain. He has played just 30 games so far this season. And the shortstop recorded a .216 AVG and .688 OPS only. 

His replacement at the position, Bo Bichette, is hardly better with a .250 batting average and .676 OPS. However, Soto has been one of the brightest parts of the roster. His .956 OPS highly contrasts with that of most other players on the team, and he has already hit 17 home runs. 

But there’s a different kind of buzz surrounding him that has been building for some time. Reportedly, Soto and Lindor haven’t shared the best chemistry. However, many have downplayed the alleged friction between them.

And Steve Cohen addressed the same when Sherman asked a similar question. 

“Do you think your team needs to be broken up in any way? And really, that becomes about Lindor and Soto,” Sherman inquired. 

The team has considered both players key pieces. And the fact that there might have been a tiff between them has never been good news for the fans. And the host basically wanted to know, much like most of Mets Nation, whether the Mets can form a winning team that includes both of the players. 

“I don’t see them going anywhere,” Cohen was upfront. “I think that was last year’s story. And I’m told and believe strongly that these guys are getting well, much better. And so, I just don’t see that as an issue anymore.”

Even their former manager, Carlos Mendoza, followed a similar tone, saying that the Mets “had a professional clubhouse” and everyone in the locker room “enjoyed being around each other.”

Although the owner admitted there may have been a feud involving the two stars, Cohen didn’t just shut down the trade speculation. He also made it clear that they have been on good terms and expressed his confidence in Soto and Lindor as the Mets’ core.