Some things in baseball, money just can’t buy. The New York Mets are finding that out the hard way. Their huge $339 million payroll has bought them a league-worst 74 bullpen meltdowns, per FanGraphs, as of August 11. The latest in a series of disasters was on August 15th against the Seattle Mariners. The offense did what it had to do. Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto both hit home runs to put together a good lead. But then the bullpen fell apart, just like the pattern in their everyday story.

For the second night in a row, the Mets’ bullpen, including new deadline acquisition Ryan Helsley, faltered and gave up a late lead. Another recent addition, Tyler Rogers, also struggled, allowing a run in the sixth inning that trimmed the Mets’ 6-4 lead down to just one.

Following the game, Mets’ manager, Carlos Mendoza, spoke to the media. He started with, “Bottom line, we’ve got to start playing better. Especially when you get the lead, you’ve got to shut those games down. Too much talent back there. They’re going through it right now. Our job is to get them back on track.” It is the same line that has frustrated fans far too many times.

It was just yesterday when after the bullpen meltdown against the Braves, Helsley gave up the lead after Kodai Senga had pitched well, contributing to a 4-3 loss, the manager said, “We’re not playing well. But too much talent. We’re going through a very tough time right now. But there are a lot of good players there. We haven’t played well, but we’re still pretty much right in the thick of things. We gotta find a way….This guy’s elite, we’ve just got to get him back on track,” defending Ryan Helsley.

As a matter of fact, the team has now lost 14 of its last 16 games. This puts them six games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. However, a little over two months ago, the team was on an incredible high.

A 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals marked their sixth consecutive win, pushing their record to an MLB-best 45-24. They held a commanding 5 1/2 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the division, and the Cincinnati Reds, who were a few games above .500, weren’t even considered a threat. At that time, the Mets’ pitching staff was performing exceptionally well. The entire team had a sparkling 2.83 ERA, with their starters posting a 2.79 ERA and their relievers a 2.89 ERA.

Fast forward to today, and the situation is starkly different. The Mets’ impressive lead has vanished, and they are now fighting just to stay in the playoff picture, clinging to a tenuous half-game lead for the final wild-card spot. On top of that, the manager’s words have put the fans in a state of immense frustration.

The fans’ verdict on Carlos Mendoza

“STOP. SAYING. THE. SAME. THING. DO SOMETHING,” said a fan. While another remarked, “Too much talent, Going through it. Same lines after every single game.”

The fans’ observation is not an exaggeration. After Thursday’s loss against Braves, he stated, “Obviously, we’re not playing well, but too much talent.” Following a sweep by the Brewers the previous weekend, he reiterated, “We’ve got to go out and do it,” Mendoza said. “We’re going to keep saying it. The bottom line — we’ve got to go out and do it. I’m going to keep saying we’ve got the talent, we’ve got the players.”

“Being nice to them won’t get them back on track d– head. Show some passion maybe it’ll rub off on the players.” This comment advocates for some of the most successful and famously tough managers in baseball history. Billy Martin is the most famous name on this list. He took a losing Minnesota Twins in 1969 and led them to a division title. He did the same with the Oakland A’s. They went from 108 losses in 1979 to a division title in 1981.

As the team is in free fall right now, one fan urged, “Fire Mendoza.” Another joined saying, “FIRE HIM. Same excuses every game.” It was reiterated by another fan, “LFGM=Let’s fire great Mendoza.”

One fan directly rejected Mendoza’s “talent” refrain. ““Too much talent.” Stop saying this. We have a bullpen problem. It’s not going away. Stearns and Cohen are hiding their heads in the sand.”

To sum up, the “bullpen problem” is statistically undeniable: they lead the league in meltdowns (74), have been overworked (3rd in innings pitched), and have a poor save conversion rate of 63.6% despite being given the most opportunities in baseball.