Only one team has ever spent $300M and finished last. It’s the New York Mets who spent like contenders and forgot to perform like one. Their 7-6 loss to the Washington Nationals only made it official. As a payroll well above $300 million delivered a last-place division finish for the first time since 2003, furious Mets fans flooded the internet to express their frustration with the franchise.
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After last season’s disappointment, when the Mets went from leading the National League in June to missing the playoffs, owner Steve Cohen spent handsomely in the offseason. With Cohen’s backing, Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns overhauled the roster, cutting off the veteran core, which included Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Edwin Diaz. Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor were among those who stayed. Stearns added Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, and Luis Robert Jr. to bolster the lineup. Freddy Peralta was supposed to be the ace, while Devin Williams and Luke Weaver were added to strengthen the bullpen. The Mets entered the 2026 season with the second-highest payroll at above $350 million, yet they never played like one. Dan Clark on X noted that the Mets are the only team in any sport to spend $300 million and come last.
“The New York Mets are the only team, across any sport around the world, to spend $300+ million and finish last,” wrote Clark on X.
The Mets’ payroll at the end of the season stands at $357 million. They have a 74-87 record with one game to go. The Mets won their last game against the Nationals 7-1, with AJ Ewing and Ronny Mauricio delivering impressive at-bats. Ewing hit a three-run home run, and Mauricio homered twice during the victory. However, the win hardly mattered with the season already lost. The Mets are 20 games behind the division leaders, the Atlanta Braves (94-67). The Mets botched their season from the start.
After their 7-19 downfall in April, the Mets never recovered. They entered May 11.5 games behind the leading Braves. In two months, the Mets fell further behind, now trailing the division leaders by 14.5 games. Firing Carlos Mendoza and promoting bench coach Andy Green did not turn the season around either. Despite entering the season with a 79.5% chance of making it into the playoffs, per FanGraphs, the Mets are now eliminated and last in the division.
Only the Los Angeles Dodgers have a higher payroll than the Mets, and the team has secured a postseason bye. Their Subway Series rivals, the New York Yankees, had the third-highest Opening Day payroll. Despite their struggles with Aaron Judge on the IL, the Yankees have also secured a postseason berth. They will play the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox.
Mets’ last-place finish sparks fan frustration anew
As the Mets secured their worst record in 23 years, one frustrated fan commented on X, “$300M to finish last. That’s a Hall of Fame choke.” Another one wrote, “Kinda kills the ‘teams that spend the most win the most ‘ argument.”
“The New York Mets deserve every negative fall! Baseball God, ty! One big reason is Mr. Alonso. Soto F—. I’m still #Mets4Life. But…GL Mets,” wrote one fan. Another fan also blamed the Mets for not signing Alonso; he wrote, “And not sign the best slugger in their history that was beloved by the fans and now is beloved in Baltimore.”
Selected in the second round of the 2026 MLB draft, Pete Alonso has played seven seasons for the Mets since his debut. With 264 homers for the Mets, the slugger is also the team’s all-time home run leader. He surpassed Daryl Strawberry’s franchise record of 252 in August last year. Yet when Alonso became a free agent, the Mets did not extend him a formal offer, and the 1B left Queens to join the Baltimore Orioles on a 5-year, $155 million deal. When the Polar Bear came back to Citi Field to record his 300th career home run, the Metsies welcomed him warmly. Meanwhile, David Stearns was at the receiving end of fan frustration.
One user wrote, “Bad on & off field. The worst leadership.”
Every time the players disappointed the fans, the Metsies were equally vocal against principal owner Steve Cohen and president David Stearns. They blamed Stearns for building an expensive roster that failed to deliver. During Pete Alonso’s return, fans chanted “Fire Stearns!” in the stands.
One fan jibed, “There’s a luxury tax? There should be a stupid tax too. Cohen should have to give money to Pittsburgh and Miami, some other teams as well.”
With the CBT threshold at $244 million in 2026, the Mets will have to pay a luxury tax penalty of $120 million, per ESPN. However, the amount may vary after final adjustments and calculations.
After missing the playoffs for two straight years, the Metsies are understandably frustrated. With the current payroll, they were hoping for a contending team; instead, they were thoroughly disappointed. However, the Mets have a better record under Andy Green this season than under former manager Carlos Mendoza. So they can hope for better results next season with Green as their new manager.