By: Ziyin Niu

The 2023 Mets have faced criticism for their consistent lack of preparation, low fundamentals, and inability hold a lead to save their lives. The team has been plagued by some of the sloppiest and most careless errors imaginable.

There have been many reason for the Mets’ unsuccess, one thing foremost is the top manager Buck Showalter lack of accountability and poor game management. Despite Buck Showalter proved himself and gained the trust by awarded the 2022 National League Manager of the Year Award, Showalter’s accountability and game management have been questioned. The manager’s job is to ensure team cohesion and prevent unusual plays. However, Showalter has fallen shoort in fulling these responsibilities.

Furthermore, the team’s pitching has been a massive letdown, with veterans Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer struggling mightily at times. The general manager invests $40 million on Verlander during the offseason, aiming to fill the void left by deGrom and improve the team performance. Unexpected, Verlander has yet to find his groove, he giving up more than six runs in multiple starts.

Another contributing factors is Billy Eppler’s disastrous bullpen management. While Eppler’s moves played a huge role in the team’s turnaround at times in the 2022 season, 2023 has been a complete nightmare. The Mets lacked a bonafide designated hitter and reliable bullpen arms. Eppler did almost nothing to address those concerns this off-season. Although he added David Robertson and Brooks Raley, whose impact has been felt this year, Eppler’s failure to add better depth to the bullpen has hurt the team.

Some critics argue that not all of blame should be placed on Eppler, as his decision to signed Marte last off-season seems to be ill-advised. Not only has Marte often looked out of sync at the plate, but his defensive regression in the outfield also cannot be overlooked either.

The 2023 New York Mets have faced significant challenges and criticisms due to their lack of preparation, fundamental errors, and inability to hold leads. buck Showalter’s managerial shortcomings, the underperformance of veteran pitchers, and Billy Eppler’s ineffective bullpen management have contribute to the team’s struggles. Additionally, questionable offseason the Met must address these issues and make necessary adjustments to salvage their campaign.