The 2023 season has been a tough one for anyone associated with the New York Mets. Going into the season, expectations were high, and so was the payroll. The $353 million the Mets were spending on players’ salaries was an unprecedented figure by a wide margin. That number was largely driven by money being shelled out to intended co-aces, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, $86 million in total.

We know what happened. Injuries to key players, such as Edwin Diaz and Jose Quintana, and overall bad play saw the Mets wallowing at the trade deadline. The Mets did a hard pivot from expected contender to major retailer, selling off not only Scherzer and Verlander, but also David Robertson, Tommy Pham, Dominic Leone, and Mark Canha. The Mets had waved the white flag. Okay, that happens. However, Scherzer’s comments that the Mets may not contend until 2025 or 2026 jarred the fanbase, leaving many to question what’s ahead in the near future.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The reactions to the 2023 about-face seem to come from two perspectives, that of the fan and that of the customer. Former Mets general manager, Frank Cashen, saw fans and customers as not necessarily being the same. He was quoted in the New York Times in 1986:

“I make a distinction between my fans and my customers,” Cashen says. ”People come up to me all the time and say, ‘Gee, I love the Mets. I watch them all the time on TV.’ Then I ask, ‘When was the last time you came out to the ballpark?’ And they say, ‘Oh, well, I’ve been meaning to.’ Those people are my fans. But you know, I said to the bishop one time, I said, ‘You’ve got the same problem I do.”

The Fan’s Reaction

Articles are written, and people are active on social media, so it’s not hard to get a feel for how the fans felt about the liquidation (which current general manager Billy Eppler said was not a liquidation). Most fans felt it was the right thing to do. Owners Steve and Alex Cohen had been true to their word and tried to bring a winner to Queens quickly by spending aggressively on established stars. It simply was not working.

So, those aging stars were turned into solid prospects, such as Luisangel Acuña, Drew Gilbert, and Ryan Clifford. While prospects are no sure thing, re-stocking the farm system made sense toward the Cohens’ other goal of sustained winning. When the Mets will contend again is unknown. Cohen said the Mets will be “very formidable” in 2024. They’ll need to be active in free agency once again, but rather than spending big on a couple of players, they will have several needs to fill. It’s hard to imagine 2024 as a “throw away” season, but watching the post-August 1 Mets play, it’s also hard to imagine that a significant enough makeover can happen to bring the team into the wildcard hunt next year.

The Customer’s Reaction

Here is where the Mets actions at the deadline may have a significant impact. Mets’ tickets come at a premium price, as do transportation to Citi Field and on-site expenses, such as food and beverage. Customers are willing to pay premium prices for a premium product. The prices are not decreasing (rumor is they will go up), but will the 2024 Mets be a premium product? As noted above, it’s a big unknown at this point.

I asked 27 season ticket holders and partial season ticket holders how they plan to handle renewals for 2024. Forty-seven percent of them said they were undecided and that they would wait to see how the offseason plays out before making their decision. Thirty-three percent said they were not planning to renew, while twenty percent said they would renew immediately (typically, renewal packages come out in August).

For the last few years, the ball seemed to be in the public’s court. The Mets were spending and bringing in pieces that pointed to a very good team. Buy your tickets now, or someone else will. Now, the ball is in the Mets’ court. Impress your customers. Give us a reason to believe that we should spend as we have been. Time will work to the consumer’s advantage in this case.

It’s a very important offseason ahead for the Mets. Their actions, more than any words, will tell us if this is a rebuild (accelerated or not), or a refocusing, with contending for a wildcard spot in the plan for 2024. The fans are very interested, and the customers are definitely paying attention.