The New York Mets are finding that money doesn’t necessarily bring happiness. The second-most expensive team in MLB – with a payroll of $381m – lost their 11th game in a row on Sunday as they were swept for a third straight series, this time by the Chicago Cubs.
“Eleven losses, that’s a lot, whether it’s in April or at any point in the season,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. “Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We’ve got to find a way.”
On Sunday, the Mets found new and interesting ways to torment their fanbase. They led 1-0 going into the ninth inning before their former outfielder, Michael Conforto, drove in the tying run for the Cubs. Another former Mets outfielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong, then scored Chicago’s winning run in the 10th inning off Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly.
“This feeling sucks,” said shortstop Francisco Lindor after the game. “It’s not a good feeling.”
The Mets’ losing streak matches the team’s longest since 2002, and they have scored just 19 runs in their 11 consecutive losses. The Mets’ woes come after a terrible 2025 season in which they collapsed from having the best record in baseball early in the season to missing the playoffs entirely.
The Mets have a small sliver of hope with their best player, Juan Soto, due back from injury in the coming week. But Lindor said Soto should not be expected to work miracles.
“Even when he comes, we’ve still got to get it done,” said Lindor. “It would be unfair to just throw everything on him.”
General manager David Stearns shipped out many of the team’s veterans and much of the coaching staff in the wake of last season’s disappointment, but the new version of the Mets appears to be even worse this time around. After Sunday’s loss they fell to 7-15, the worst record in the major leagues.
