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The New York Mets aren’t safe anywhere.
Two years after making the National League Championship Series, the Mets are on pace to lose 95 games, which would be their most since losing 95 in 2003. But this season is much more embarrassing than that.
The Mets began this season overhauling a team that snuffed out the league’s best record last summer, which turned into a hefty $329 million payroll.
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Bo Bichette of the New York Mets leaves the field after the start of the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago on April 17, 2026. (Erin Hooley/AP)
But it was no use, and the President of the United States took notice.
“The Mets have the highest salary in baseball, and they lose all the time,” President Donald Trump told a crowd in Georgia, likely filled with happy Atlanta Braves fans.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, in fact, have the most money committed to their team, but in terms of payroll for 2026, the Mets lead the league thanks to the Dodgers’ carryovers.
Trump made the comment while praising Braves Development Company CEO Mike Plant, saying the Mets should “maybe steal this guy.”
“You don’t realize how good he is. There are teams where they never fall. Then there are other teams, they’ve been rebuilding for years. I don’t want to mention the teams, because I know all the owners are old friends of mine, I get in trouble, but they always rebuild. This guy never rebuilds. He just stays at the top. He’s amazing,” Trump said. “And then he loses the best player. He loses a great first baseman (Freddie Freeman), I would say a great first baseman, and they go on and get things for the first baseman. And he was really good, the Dodgers got him. But I watched the Braves for years and they did a great job.”
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Braves Development Company President and CEO Mike Plant as he invites Plant and former Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker on stage to speak during an event at Wheeler High School July 22, 2026, in Marietta, Georgia. Trump traveled to Georgia to deliver a speech on education and promote his administration’s recently launched Trump Accounts program. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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The Mets’ payroll is dominated by Juan Soto’s record $765 million, 15-year contract, which he signed in December 2024. Francisco Lindor also makes nearly $34 million.
The Mets let Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz enter free agency while trading Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, and brought in Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert, Bo Bichette, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. However, despite the Mets ranking 27th in batting average, 26th in runs scored and 28th in OPS, their rotation has the ninth-worst ERA in the major leagues.
Polanco is hitting .165 during an injury-riddled season, and Robert is hitting .211 after injuries. Bichette is on pace to have the worst season of his career, Semien is hitting .209 with a .606 OPS and Williams has a 4.54 ERA (Weaver’s 1.98 ERA is a single bright spot).
(LR) Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets watch during the national anthem before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in New York, New York. (Photos by Dustin Satloff/MLB via Getty Images)
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New York is said to have just about everyone available on the trade market except for Soto and some young talent on the big league roster.
The Mets are 43-60 and are 17.0 games behind the Braves in the NL East.
