John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t have to get into it, do I? This Mets season has not been what we expected. We expected so much more from this team – so much better. Yeah, there’s still plenty of season left, I know, but things aren’t looking pretty right now.

So, who’s to blame for this poor start?

John Sheridan

Billy Eppler
All signs point to Billy Eppler.

Since taking over the Mets, his plan was to keep signing players in their mid to late 30s. The Mets got away with it last year, but the plan is imploding this year. Eppler built an incomplete bullpen. That would have been true even if Edwin Díaz was healthy. The rotation was too old. They’ve all been broken at different times and have regressed. The Vogelbach trade still haunts the Mets as the team keeps looking for a platoon option. Oh, and Vogelbach has been one of many disappointments this year.

There are other issues including how Buck Showalter has managed the team. Seriously, Showalter may be the only person alive who thinks Marte should bat second and that Francisco Álvarez should’ve been batting last for as long as he has. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. All told, the Mets have a GM who couldn’t win with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. They have a manager who led the team to a collapse last season and who has just one postseason series win over 22 years. In the end, we should’ve expected this.

Patrick Glynn

Buck Showalter
I don’t think there’s a wrong answer on this one. You could blame a handful of position players who aren’t performing. You could blame Justin Verlander and/or Max Scherzer for their inconsistent play.

Because of this, I’ll go to the leader of them: Buck Showalter. He makes a handful of questionable moves that affect the team in real-time each week, from lineup construction to bullpen usage (or lack thereof). Overall, this is probably the worst way this season could’ve played out so far. This is primarily on a dozen or so players. But I also think plenty of players will rebound this year and into next year. I’m not sure Buck Showalter’s ways will change, though.

James Villani

The Starting Pitching
A lot goes into a team’s struggles, and that’s no different with the Mets this year. However, the position group most to blame is by far the starting pitching. Scherzer and Verlander each have been inconsistent and missed time. Despite having electric stuff periodically, Senga’s huge walk issues (sixth percentile BB%) have plagued him from being a consistent strong option. Lastly, New York has run out several guys who are not MLB caliber right now – Carrasco (6.31 xERA), Peterson (5.17 xERA), Megill (6.00 xERA), and Lucchesi (6.77 xERA).

There’s some hope for Verlander/Scherzer as their analytics do paint a picture of positive regression. Though, Senga (if walk issues aren’t corrected) and the 4 and 5 spots are still troublesome. Of course, the front office is the one that built this rotation. So they can shoulder some of the blame as well. But, it comes down to performance on the field, and right now, the Mets are not getting that from some that have been able to perform at a strong level before (notably Peterson and Carrasco). Not to mention, the injury to José Quintana.

Dan Quiñones

Pitching Staff
I think the most frustrating thing about this team is that the real answer is everyone. When the team hits, they don’t pitch. When they pitch, they don’t hit. Buck makes too many questionable moves and almost never gets bailed out by his players when he makes them. There are just too many different things going wrong at once.

If I did have to pick one specific issue that is hurting the team most, I would say the performance of the pitching staff. Before the season, the Mets rotation was expected to be one of the best by people all around baseball. Injuries were to be expected with the age, but all four of the veterans struggling or dealing with injuries while Megill and Peterson have not come close to repeating last year’s success has been too much for them to overcome. They are 1-6 in their last seven games when scoring at least seven runs, which should be nearly impossible.

The offense has shown signs of life lately, and Verlander and Scherzer are regularly showing that they’re still capable of dominating teams. There is still more than half a season left, but the Mets’ pitching needs to improve and be more consistent if they want to make a run.

Johnluke Chaparro

Pitching
The biggest culprit is the pitching. We’re beating a dead horse here but it’s plain as day. The pitching and lack of competent reinforcement from Eppler. As much as we get on guys like Marte and Lindor for not producing, they haven’t failed like the pitching has.

Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have been shaky and inconsistent. Although both have shown signs of improvement, work still needs to be done. Senga is experiencing changes everywhere. Then there’s David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Carlos Carrasco, and the cavalcade of relievers that have sunk this rotation and pen into a crater. Uncompetitive starts mixed with multiple implications have sunk this team to new lows.

I can go on and on but the rest of my colleagues have summed it up better than I have. Eppler needs to find better arms for the back end of the rotation and bullpen if he wants to save the season. I didn’t sink my money into season tickets to watch guys like Jeff Brigham and Zach Muckenhrin wreck the season away.

Matt Mancuso

The Starting Pitching
The brutal start of the Mets’ 2023 campaign can be attributed to many different culprits. All different aspects of the team have disappointed. If I were to point out one specific area, the starting pitching would be the place for improvement.

I’m not trying to beat a dead horse, but I think it’s worth reiterating that the Mets are paying Max Scherzer & Justin Verlander the highest AAV in Major-League history, contracts, that quite frankly, the hurlers haven’t lived up to this season. In retrospect, these deals have grossly inflated the team’s salary and haven’t moved the club’s win total much this season. Megill’s and Peterson’s regressions from years past have been ugly to watch; I still have hope for those two hurlers.

Going forward, the rotation’s state can’t be worse than it currently is. Right?

Michelle Ioannou

Pitching
It’s always the pitching, isn’t it?