When the Mets held their famous players-only meeting in 2024 that by many accounts turned their season around, they were 22-33. The team finished that night 16 games out of first place in the division and were twice as far away from the playoffs as they were from being in last place in the league.
The Mets may have a much better record than they had then, half a game within first place and in playoff position, but the vibes of the team feel similar, and after getting blown out by the last place Pirates for the second straight day, the players decided that Saturday was a necessary time for their first such meeting of 2025.
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“We’re not playing well,” Brandon Nimmo said after the team lost its 12th game out of 15, “Just put things out there, talk about it as a team, and move on.”
Nimmo said that Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso were among the “six to seven guys” who made their voices heard in the meeting.
“After the game, we all sat here and it just happened,” Lindor said, “Everybody is pulling for each other, there is a sense of urgency, everybody loves each other, everybody is on the same page.”
“It’s obvious that we’re not playing our best baseball,” Alonso said, “We’re not playing our cleanest baseball, we’re not playing to our maximum potential right now.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, who was ejected in the fourth inning after arguing balls and strikes, struck a positive tone after the game.
“We’ve got to continue to fight through it, and we will. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us,” Mendoza said, “It’s a tough stretch…sucks going through it, but we’ll find a way.”
If the team is going to turn things around, it’s going to start with a player with only one game as a Met. Frankie Montas will make his second start for New York on Sunday, as the Mets look to salvage the series against the Pirates.
