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JJ: “How to Save Sinking 2026 Mets”

BQE Admin on April 29, 2026

New York, New York

By John Jastremski

sports@queensledger.com

A week ago on Sports Nite on SNY, I was asked if the 12 game losing streak was going to be rock bottom for the 2026 Mets. I hesitated and wondered, because with the way the team was playing and performing, in theory of course it could get worse. 

This past weekend, my feelings were affirmed. The Mets were swept 3 straight by the Colorado Rockies, not exactly the 98 Yankees or 2025 Dodgers. 

The Mets in a doubleheader on Sunday scored 1 run in 18 innings of baseball to fall double digit games under the .500 mark. 

Yes, after Sunday’s game. All bets were off when it comes to the job security of Mets manager Carlos Mendoza especially with the shocking firing of Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Saturday night. 

As of Tuesday morning, the Mets have not made a managerial change and the pipe dream of Alex Cora in the Mets dugout in 2026 seems exactly that. 

After all, if you were paid 7.5 million dollars to do nothing the rest of the year, you’d probably prefer that as opposed to coming in and taking over a baseball team midseason. 

So, history is without a doubt not on the side of the 2026 Mets. No team in the history of baseball has lost 12 consecutive games and has made the postseason. 

The start for the 2026 Mets rivals some of the worst teams in the history of the franchise including the infamous 1962 Inaugural Mets. 

I won’t sugar coat, on April 28th, the season does not exactly look promising. So, let’s be glass half full for a second. There is a lot of baseball left to be played. How do the Mets turn their season around? I’ll give you three keys. 

  1. Can the team remember how to hit the ball out of the ballpark? 

If you want to score runs, you have to hit some home runs. The long ball has been non existent for this group, that has to change. 

  1. Can the 2 best starters on the team go deeper into games? 

On a team that has been dreadful, I know it’s tough to nitpick Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean. I think both guys are tremendous pitchers, but they have to take their game to another level to help out the rest of the group. Both starters need to give the team more length. 5 inning starts are simply not enough. 

  1. Can the team be more fundamentally sound? 

The entire offseason all I heard about was run prevention, run prevention, run prevention! The Mets made massive changes to the roster because they wanted to become more athletic, better defensively and more fundamentally sound. 

A month in. The defense has been suspect, the mental mistakes have been off the charts and the brand of baseball has been atrocious. 

Carlos Mendoza is fighting to save his job, he must tighten up the ship on so many different levels or he will be working somewhere else in 2027. 

OK 2026 Mets. Nowhere to go, but up right? 

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on Spotify/Apple Podcasts every Sunday/Thursday & following every Knicks playoff game. You can watch me on Sports Nite nightly following Mets Postgame on SNY.

JJ: “Finally! A Met Offseason Move to Celebrate!”

BQE Admin on January 21, 2026

New York, New York

By John Jastremski

The winter months so far have not been kind to David Stearns and the New York Mets.

Sure, they’ve told you that a plan is in place. Yes, publicly they have remained confident about their process.

However, as of 4 days ago. The plan was not exactly one that had Mets fans jumping for joy.

So far this winter, it’s been the winter of departure. First Brandon Nimmo, but in a two day span Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso became former Mets.

No disrespect to Jorge Polanco and Luke Weaver, but not exactly the moves that have you high fiving your buddy at work walking into the office.

The Mets last week appeared poised to make a big splash. As of last Thursday, the team was hot and heavy for Cubs All Star outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Tucker was looking for a short term contract with a crazy high yearly salary.

Despite some of the fit concerns I had with the player, on a short term deal, this appeared to be in the David Stearns wheelhouse, until guess who?

Yep… The Dodgers!!!!! Swooped in and made Tucker an offer he couldn’t refuse.

After losing Alonso and Diaz and now missing out on Kyle Tucker, the Mets had to do something this offseason. After all, you just can’t sit on all that Steve Cohen loot!

Thankfully Friday, they pivoted beautifully.

Out of nowhere, the Mets signed infielder Bo Bichette to a three year contract. 

Bichette is a right handed hitting machine. He is a throwback player, puts the ball in play and has exactly the sort of attitude the 2026 Mets should be looking for.

He is a natural shortstop, so he will be moving positions, which certainly contradicts the run prevention narrative you’ve heard throughout this offseason.

However, cast that aside. 

Bichette makes the 2026 Mets a significantly better team.

He can hit behind Juan Soto. He has the right makeup to handle New York City.

Oh and the Phillies were interested! So much for that!

The Bo Bichette signing will bring about a variety of questions about how the rest of the roster will look moving closer to Opening Day.

However, there is no question that the Mets are a much better team than they were on Thursday night.

This was a move that had to be made.

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts every Sunday & Thursday. You can watch me nightly at 11 PM on Honda Sports Nite on SNY. 

The Kids are Alright!

BQE Admin on September 2, 2025

A Clean Start for Nolan McLean, Tong Terrific Takes Over Queens

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

A pair of Mets youngsters took the mound at Citi Field last week, injecting some life into a struggling rotation. Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, two of the most highly touted arms in the Mets system, made their MLB debuts in August. Most notably, both earned big wins in a pair of important division games at Citi Field last week.

McLean, a right-handed spin savant, took the mound in front of the Queens crowd for the first time against the Seattle Mariners earlier in the month. He delivered one of the greatest pitcher debuts in club history, striking out 8 and only surrendering 2 hits in 5.1 innings of scoreless ball.

In his next two starts, McLean continued to impress, becoming the first in franchise history to win each of his first three games. He punched out 6 in 7 innings in Atlanta before getting another 5 against the Phillies at home.

McLean became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in the 80’s to win their first three games while pitching 20+ innings, striking out 20+, and holding opponents to a sub-.200 batting average. More importantly he displayed an ability to go deep into ballgames, something sorely missing from the Mets pitching staff.

The rookie’s 8 innings of work against Philadelphia were some of the most masterful from the Mets pitching staff all season. Only David Peterson has gone deeper in a game this year, throwing a complete game shutout against the Nationals in June.

On Friday night, another young Met arm was welcomed to Citi Field for the first time. Jonah Tong, carried youthful energy onto the mound just over a month past his 22nd birthday but kept nerves contained in front of a nearly sold out crowd. Tong didn’t have to worry about run support in his first Major League game as he was handed 12 runs to work with over the first two innings.

The youngster was just barely able to qualify for a win, throwing nearly 100 pitches over 5 frames. A pair of errors nearly cost Tong a chance at a decision, but he finished with just one earned run.

The 19-9 win set a record for the most runs scored at home as New York desperately tried to shake a groggy August. Despite their sweep of the Phillies, the Mets struggled last month with a 11-17 record even with impressive offensive numbers. With pitching struggles, it’s time to see what the new kids can offer in the season’s final stretch.

Nolan McLean’s 4th start was scheduled for Tuesday in Detroit. Tong is slated for a Friday night appearance in Cincinnati as the Mets look to earn some separation in the Wild Card race.

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