What has happened to the New York Mets in 2023 is nothing short of mesmerizing. They started as perennial favorites, not only to win their highly contested National League East division, wrestling it from the Atlanta Braves, the winners of the past five, but also to be World Series contenders. However, none of these aspirations seems possible at this juncture in the season, as the Mets are in last place in the East and nowhere near a Wild Card position. It's noteworthy that all of this is occurring after the Mets' owner, Steve Cohen, decided to spend over $800 million on free agency during the past offseason, only to subsequently trade away most of those players, including notable names like Justin Verlander, David Robertson, and even last year's major signing, Max Scherzer. One of the few prominent names who weren't traded away is Pete Alonso.

The Mets and Pete Alonso's descent

The one individual many believed Cohen and Mets' general manager Billy Eppler might consider trading, given the acknowledgment of their failed season, is Pete Alonso. Although Alonso isn't having his best season, with a slash line of .223/.323/.524, he has still managed to hit 35 home runs and drive in 87 runs with an .847 OPS. That would have been more than enough incentive for teams to give Alonso a look, as much less was taken from other players at the deadline.

In January, the Mets and Alonso agreed on a one-year, $14.5 million deal to avoid arbitration, making him a free agent in 2024. It seemed logical that if the Mets were willing to part ways with players like Verlander and Scherzer, and even Robertson, then why not Alonso? The team appeared to be embarking on a complete overhaul, so trading someone like the 28-year-old Alonso could have garnered more promising prospects for the future, similar to what they did with Verlander and Scherzer. However, that scenario did not come to pass.

Instead, the Mets and Alonso continue to struggle, much to the dismay of New York fans, and frustrations continue to mount. This has been the case ever since Alonso famously yelled at Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder from the dugout to “throw it again” after Alonso hit a home run off Elder in a game against the Braves back in early June.

The Braves haven't forgotten Pete Alonso and the Mets

Alonso's home run at that juncture in the game gave the Mets a 4-1 lead, but the Braves managed to mount a comeback, winning the game 6-4 and subsequently taking the series, outscoring the Mets 26-19. The Braves went on to have their best month of the season, finishing 21-4. In contrast, the Mets have struggled since that point. While New York wasn't on par with the Braves in June, they were only 6.5 games back, holding third place and seeking to close the gap in that series. However, the Mets really haven't regained their footing in their quest for the division since the Braves snatched the NL East title from them at the very end of the last season.

Cohen then decided to embark on a spending spree in the offseason, securing veteran free agents like Verlander, creating what many believed would be a dominant starting rotation in the National League. However, this dominance never materialized. Not even close.

The score 21-3 score in game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mets was a just another example of the complete drubbing by the Braves to New York this season.  That loss alone felt like it put the Mets back for another two decades. The Braves clinched three out of four games, outscoring the Mets 40-10 in total and handing New York just two wins over Atlanta this season. Furthermore, they have now lost 10 of their last 13 games since the trade deadline and have sunk to a 53–65 record for the season, residing in the division's basement.

Can the Mets regain their footing in 2024?

In what marked the final series in New York this season, the Braves essentially dealt the final blow to the miserable 2023 Mets season. So, how can this team hope to recover in 2024 and beyond? Cohen might possess the deepest pockets among all MLB owners, but considering how this season has unfolded for the Mets, he might need to adopt the role similar to a college football recruiter to attract players to join his team next season. Money certainly holds influence, but players don't want to be part of a consistently losing and gloomy environment. How the Mets manage to recover from this season will serve as a testament to the kind of teams Cohen and Eppler can assemble for the future.