The New York Mets’ season officially ended in heartbreak on Sunday. However, on Monday morning, owner Steven Cohen stepped forward with his first public remarks. Posting on X, Cohen didn’t mince words:
“Mets fans everywhere. I owe you an apology. You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part. We will conduct a post-mortem to identify both the obvious and less obvious reasons why the team didn’t perform up to your and my expectations, and we are all feeling raw emotions today. I know how much time and effort you have put into this team. The result was unacceptable. Your emotions reveal how much you care and continue to motivate the organization to improve. Thank you to the best fans in sports.”
It was the kind of acknowledgment Mets fans had waited weeks for as their team unraveled. After holding baseball’s best record on June 12, the Mets spiraled out of control, missing the postseason in what will go down as one of the most painful collapses in franchise history.
From Contender to Collapse
The numbers tell the story of just how dramatic the freefall was. New York sat at 45-24 after a win over the Nationals on June 12, standing 21 games over .500 and looking like a National League powerhouse. That same night, ace Kodai Senga left with a hamstring injury. The team went on to lose its next seven games, dropping 10 of 11 in a brutal stretch that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the summer.
From that point forward, the Mets played like a completely different team. They stumbled to a 38-55 record the rest of the way, their rotation depth exposed, their lineup inconsistent, and their bullpen faltering in key moments. Manager Carlos Mendoza admitted during the final series against the Marlins that New York had “put itself in that position” long before Sunday’s finale.
The last blow came in Miami, where a four-run fourth inning doomed the Mets in a 4-0 loss. The Cincinnati Reds, who held the head-to-head tiebreaker, grabbed the final NL Wild Card spot despite losing to Milwaukee. For New York, a season once defined by hope and star power ended with silence in the dugout and frustration spilling into the stands.
Cohen Faces the Fans
Cohen’s statement comes at a critical juncture. This was a club with the second-highest payroll on Opening Day, coming in at $340.5 million. The Mets had Juan Soto anchoring the outfield, Pete Alonso slugging in the middle of the order, and Francisco Lindor playing his usual All-Star caliber shortstop. On paper, this was supposed to be one of the best rosters in baseball.
Instead, the season evoked memories of past collapses in 2007 and 2008, when New York also fell short on the final day of the season. Fans left loanDepot Park shaking their heads after Alonso lined out with the bases loaded in the fifth and Francisco Álvarez snapped his bat over his knee after a strikeout in the eighth.
By addressing the fan base directly, Cohen sought to shift some of the focus away from the players’ failures. He also acknowledged accountability for ownership. His message acknowledged what every Mets fan already felt—that this year’s result was unacceptable.
The road ahead is uncertain. Alonso is entering free agency with no guarantee of a return, the rotation behind Senga remains a question mark, and Mendoza will face scrutiny about his in-game decisions. A post-mortem, as Cohen promised, may bring significant changes.
What is clear is that the fans, once again, carried their share of the weight. They filled Citi Field all summer, traveled to Miami for the finale, and lived through another collapse.
For now, the Mets enter the offseason with questions and regrets. Cohen’s words signal he intends to find answers—but after another September disappointment, actions will matter more than promises.
