The Mets’ season has gone sideways fast, and their latest spot in the power rankings only drives that home.
After a heavy offseason spending spree, New York still hasn’t found much traction. Injuries have been part of the problem, but so have an unreliable pitching staff and defensive breakdowns that keep piling up. The club got a chance to flip the narrative last week with a four-game set against the Chicago Cubs and then a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but instead it came apart.
The Mets were swept by the Cubs, then dropped two of three to the Phillies over a brutal seven-day stretch.
That skid was enough to send Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter sliding them from No. 25 last week all the way to No. 30 in his latest power rankings.
"That crash you heard in the distance was the Mets hitting rock bottom when they fired manager Carlos Mendoza on the heels of a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cubs. Starter David Peterson was traded to the Cubs on Thursday, and that won't be the last move this front office makes as a seller in 2026."
Carlos Mendoza was let go before Friday’s game against the Phillies, and he was the only coach or front office member to be removed in the mid-season shakeup.
Reuter’s read is clear: more changes are likely coming. David Peterson is already gone to the Cubs, and that may be just the first step if the Mets keep moving pieces ahead of a future-focused stretch.
For now, the picture is ugly. New York sits 15.5 games out of first place in the division, and the list of problems keeps getting longer.
In Other News...
Phillies Linked To Surprising Twins All-Star Trade Buzz
ESPNs David Schoenfield has put a different kind of Twins trade idea in the Phillies lap, one that starts with rotation depth instead of a bigger bat. Philadelphia has been searching for help on both sides of the ball, and the conversation here is whether the best way to spend its resources is to add another starter or keep chasing a right-handed hitting outfielder who better addresses the lineup.
The appeal is obvious enough for a team trying to build around a top-end rotation, but the fit is not so simple when you start weighing roles and costs. A move for Joe Ryan would strengthen the pitching mix, yet it would also mean passing on the more natural offensive answer, and the Phillies are left with the same question many contenders face this time of year: fix the staff now, or keep pushing for the kind of lineup upgrade that changes more than one inning at a time. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Roster Squeeze Feels Inevitable As Trade Deadline Nears
As the trade deadline draws closer, the Phillies path to a cleaner roster is starting to look pretty straightforward. If president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski brings in the kind of help this club has been linked to, the hardest part may not be finding upgrades - it may be deciding which depth pieces get pushed out to make room. Thats especially true with a few spots already under pressure, and the margin for error getting thinner by the day.
Rafael Marchn, Gabriel Rincones Jr., Alan Rangel and Kyle Backhus all sit in that vulnerable middle ground where opportunity has run out before production has arrived. Marchns bat has not given the Phillies much behind J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs, Rincones has been losing ground in the outfield picture, and both Rangel and Backhus are the kinds of arms a contender can replace quickly if a better option becomes available. For a team trying to sharpen its roster without weakening its depth, the deadline could bring a quiet but significant round of shuffling. [Read more 🡒]
Shohei Ohtanis All-Star Pitching Status Suddenly Feels Far Less Certain
With the 2026 MLB All-Star Game still a year away, the early picture is already taking shape for the Phillies, who are expected to have a few representatives in the event and could see Brandon Marsh line up as a starter. On the mound, Cristopher Sanchez has begun to look like a real contender to get the nod for the National League, with the pitching calendar for some of the top alternatives giving him a clearer path than he might have had a few weeks ago.
Philadelphias outlook is still fluid, though, because All-Star pitching plans have a way of changing as the season goes on and rotations get shuffled. If the scheduling around the top NL arms holds, Sanchezs case gets stronger, and Zack Wheeler remains another name worth watching for the Phillies if the league ends up looking elsewhere for its starter. [Read more 🡒]