The Mets went from World Series darlings to the same old bumbling Mets before midseason

Before the 2023 MLB season, the New York Mets were supposed to be an unmitigated powerhouse. After adding Jacob DeGrom, Justin Verlander, and Brandon Nimmo to an already promising core, you thought, for once, that “The Magic Was Back.”

But, as my pal Charles Curtis wrote on Monday, all familiar hell has broken loose in Queens. Between unlucky injuries and a squad that seemingly pulls defeat out of the jaws of victory on a whim, the Mets appear to be the same old baseball club built on humiliating blunders. Except this time, they’re down a $350 million payroll to rub salt in the wound of their failures.

Woof.

I hate to break it to anyone expecting otherwise: I’m not here to make any Mets fans (or bettors) feel any better about their disappointing team. With all of their big-money spending, the Mets were the most popular pick at DraftKings to win the World Series in October.

Now? Before we even reach the official midseason mark? Oddsmakers expect New York to miss the playoffs altogether and handily.

The Mets were the most popular bet to win the World Series @DKSportsbook before the season…

They are now heavily favored to MISS the playoffs pic.twitter.com/knUdi414AC

— br_betting (@br_betting) June 26, 2023

And if you’re hoping for some kind of second-half Mets renaissance, I wouldn’t hold my breath. We all know how this ends. No spoiler tags are necessary.

Don’t say you didn’t see this bleak reality coming, Mets fans.

I’d say this is a massive fall in grace, and we should all be shocked by how far the Mets have fallen. But we should know better. The Mets can spend all the money they want to construct the best club in baseball, but that cash is akin to putting lipstick on a “pig” that appears only to exist to torment its fans forever.

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