Steven Cohen is finding out the hard way there is more to building a good baseball team than spending money. Cohen’s New York Mets lost their 10th straight game Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field (CHC 4, NYM 2) to fall to 7-14. They have baseball’s worst record and the 7-14 start is their worst since a 6-15 start in 1983. The Mets went 68-94 that year.
“They have all the right to be pissed and frustrated,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said when asked what his message to the fan base is after Saturday’s loss. “They care, just like we do. We care. We want to win as much as they do. Only so much I can say here. We’ve got to go out and do it.”
The Mets and Chicago Cubs were tied 1-1 going into the sixth inning Saturday. Mets ace Freddy Peralta got two quick outs to begin the sixth, then walked both Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki after getting into two-strike counts. Lefty Brooks Raley entered to face Moises Ballesteros, who was lifted for Carson Kelly to get the right vs. left platoon advantage.
And because things are going terribly for the Mets, Kelly hit a go-ahead three-run home run on Raley’s first pitch. To the action footage:
The Mets had a chance to get back into the game in the eighth inning thanks to a pair of infield singles and some sloppy Cubs defense. Mark Vientos grounded out to third base to strand two runners though, and the Mets went down 1-2-3 in the ninth inning against lefty Caleb Thielbar.
As is often the case during long losing streaks, the Mets have lost games every which way lately. They’ve lost because their offense has been quiet. They’ve lost because their starting pitcher was ineffective. They’ve lost because their bullpen gave it up. If it can go wrong, it is going wrong for the Mets right now. It’s gotten very ugly.
“We just haven’t been able to play a complete game,” Mendoza said. “Either the offense, the starting pitching, not making a pitch, not making a play, not getting the big hit. Just having a hard time playing a complete game right now.”
The sluggish start comes after last year’s stunning collapse. The Mets had baseball’s best record at 45-24 on June 12, 2025. They then lost seven straight games and went 38-55 the rest of the season. That was the fifth-worst record in baseball, and it cost the Mets a spot in the postseason. (The Cincinnati Reds got the third wild-card spot on a tiebreaker.)
To be sure, the losing streak is on the players, but you have to wonder about Mendoza’s job security at this point. He is in the final year of his contract and it was not a lock he would return after last year’s collapse. The Mets have an off-day Monday. Another loss Sunday, and Mendoza could be the scapegoat.
“I think the coaches are doing a tremendous job preparing the guys, staying consistent, staying positive, bringing the energy,” Mendoza said. “They’re doing everything in their power to put guys in position to have success, especially with the way they’re preparing, the way they deliver information. We just haven’t been able to see the results on the field.” Â
The 10-game losing streak is New York’s longest since an 11-gamer spanning Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, 2004. The Mets went 71-91 that year. Since that 45-24 start last season, the Mets are 45-69, which is a 98-loss pace across 162 games. Only four teams have more losses since that date.
As for the Cubs, Saturday’s win was their fourth straight, and it improved their record to 11-9. Every team in the NL Central currently has a winning record.
New York’s $370 million payroll is the second-highest in baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers ($397 million).
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