Like so many things in everyday life, little has gone according to plan this year for the New York Mets — and with a change in ownership pending, more upheaval could soon be headed their way.
After starting the year with such high hopes, the Mets finished 26-34 under rookie manager Luis Rojas in a rocky season cut short by COVID-19.
They tied Washington for last place in the National League East and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year — even with the field expanded to eight teams per league.
Photo: AP
“That’s pretty frustrating,” said ace Jacob deGrom, who delivered another stellar performance on the mound. “There’s a lot of disappointment.”
With slugger Pete Alonso powering a young corps of rising hitters, a second-half surge last year propelled the Mets to an 86-76 record and generated optimism.
Former star Carlos Beltran was hired as manager to replace Mickey Callaway and the Mets set about beefing up their pitching staff in free agency.
However, that is when everything went haywire.
Beltran was let go after 2-1/2 months without managing a single game, because he got implicated in Houston’s sign-stealing scandal from his time as an Astros player.
The Mets quickly turned to Rojas and went to spring training in February with six established starters — six All-Star selections and three Cy Young Awards between them — for five spots in what appeared to be a deep rotation.
Then the pandemic hit and No. 2 starter Noah Syndergaard had season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Marcus Stroman was supposed to slide into that role, but he got injured in summer camp and later opted out of the season because of COVID-19 concerns. Veteran newcomers Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha went a combined 2-11 in just 93 innings, and the rotation ended up in shambles.
A mediocre bullpen got taxed as the Mets compiled a 4.98 ERA that ranked 22nd in the majors and 12th in the National League.
“We let some games get away,” DeGrom said.
That was just the beginning of a somber season marked by the death of franchise icon Tom Seaver.
In the end, the Mets stumbled backward to their ninth losing season in 12 years, despite bounce-back campaigns from Robinson Cano and closer Edwin Diaz.
“Our defense compromised a couple of games,” Rojas said.
The Mets still had a chance to sneak into the playoffs on the final weekend, but lost their last three games to the Washington Nationals.
“Not the season that we anticipated,” Rojas said.
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