It was not long ago that Mets fans were riding high on a seven-game win streak, daring to think that a $330 million roster could finally fulfill their promise. The Citi Field crowd was electric, the vibes were good, and the Yankees’ struggles made the Mets feel like the city’s top dog, at least for a little while. However, in true Mets fashion, that momentum did not just slow down; it crashed. Quickly.

Now, the attention is getting hotter, and the excuses are wearing thin. As WFAN’s Keith McPherson said, “This should be as loud as the Yankees slander.” The Yankees’ struggle is no longer enough to distract from the Mets’ implosion, and with a huge amount tied up in payroll, fans and critics alike are asking the same thing: What is actually going on with the team?

This brings us to the larger concern looming over Flushing—is this the most expensive mirage in MLB? The Mets cannot keep hiding behind the Yankees’ headlines, and McPherson did not hesitate to call it out. “I’m not gonna hold you, it’s just as bad,” he said bluntly. With a $330 million payroll and arguably passionate fans in the league, it is fair to expect more, especially when 39,000 fans pack Citi Field on a Tuesday hoping for a spark.

Instead, what the fans are getting is a team stuck in a late-summer slump with no clear way out. The offense is still sputtering, the energy is flat, and the team’s leadoff star is struggling to find a rhythm. As The New York Post’s Camden Markel said, Brandon Nimmo admitted he is feeling “not great” at the plate after a brutal stretch of six strikeouts over two games, including four in a single night. McPherson summed it up best: “You’re trying to shake something up… but the offense hasn’t been good enough.”

With the Yankees flailing too, the Mets’ issues are finally in the spotlight because the team has lost seven of the last eight games and each of the last three series. The Mets remain winless this season when trailing after eight innings. Just when it looked like the team was done making headlines, a surprising twist emerged behind the scenes.

Mets missed out on Mason Miller, a deadline gamble that did not pay off

While the Mets were busy dodging accountability on the field, the team nearly pulled off something massive off it. As per The Athletic, they made a “substantial” push for electric A’s closer Mason Miller before he was shockingly shipped off to the Padres. For a team desperately asking for answers amid a nosedive, this could have been the game-transforming move fans were craving. Instead, it fell apart with no deal, no Miller, and no clarity on what the team was really willing to risk to salvage the season.

And here’s the kicker: San Diego went all-in, even coughing up the sport’s No. 3 prospect to make it happen. The Mets? They hesitated and backed off. They held on to prized prospects like Sproat and McLean, pivoting instead to bullpen reinforcements like Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley. Solid pieces, sure. But when the team is sinking and the fanbase is desperate, settling for “safe” doesn’t cut it. David Stearns had a shot at boldness. Instead, he played it cautiously, and now the Amazins are tied with San Diego for the final NL wild-card spot, wondering what might’ve been.

In the end, the Mets cannot afford to keep leaning on the Yankees’ failures to distract from their dysfunction. With a $330 million payroll, frustrated fans, and underperforming stars openly admitting their issues, the excuses are running thin. If the city’s other team wants to escape such a spiral, it begins with owning the mess, not hiding behind pinstripes.

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