The New York Mets came into the season with extremely high expectations. They were fresh off a 101 win season in 2022 that ended prematurely in the Wild Card round. The Mets scored the fifth most runs in the big leagues that season. They did lose Jacob deGrom in the offseason, but he only started 11 games in that 2022 season. They rebounded by signing Justin Verlander to pair him once again with Max Scherzer. The Mets threw around their check book to field together what should be a contender and perennial playoff team.

They looked like one in 2022. That wasn't the case in 2023.

After finishing with 101 wins in 2022, the Mets cratered down to earth in 2023, where they finished with a record of 74 wins, 87 losses and a tie. After scoring the fifth most runs in baseball in 2022, they scored the 11th-fewest runs in 2023. Their pitching from 2022 was nowhere to be found in 2023. They were forced to sell at the trade deadline, where they flipped Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers and Justin Verlander back to the Houston Astros.

A lot went wrong for the Mets, but what specifically went wrong? What happened? Who is most responsible for them crashing and burning back to earth? Two areas of their roster stick out as reasons for the Mets' demise this season.

2) Pete Alonso

It's hard to find too much fault in a player who hit 46 home runs and 118 RBI, but Pete Alonso's other numbers from this season look like a shell of himself compared to his previous seasons. Alonso posted a batting average of .217 this season. That is by far a career-low. Only his 2020 season saw him post a batting average below .260. Last season, Alonso's batting average was .271.

That wasn't all. Alonso's .318 on-base percentage was also a career-low. His slugging percentage and his OPS was lower in 2020 than it was in 2023, but not by much. His numbers there were also a far cry from his averages in 2019, 2021, and 2022 as well as his career averages. For his career, Alonso's hitting averages look something like this: .251/.342/.528/.870. In 2023, Alonso's slashing lines fell short of all of those averages.

Pete Alonso made roughly $14.5 million this season via arbitration. He wants to be paid like one of the best players in baseball. But this season, he played more like a Joey Gallo type, who made $11 million. Alonso has proven he is more than just an all-or-nothing hitter like Gallo throughout his career. But he was more like Gallo this season. He can't be for the Mets to go where they want to go.

1) Consistent starting pitching outside of Kodai Senga

When the Mets made their playoff run and won 101 games last season, they got outstanding production from just about anybody who started games for them. Among their top eight starting pitchers in terms of innings pitched, all eight of them posted an ERA below four and five of the eight posted an ERA below 3.5. They were seventh in MLB in ERA, sixth in WHIP, and 11th in opponent's batting average.

Those numbers took a major turn for the worst this season. Of the starters that pitched at least 50 innings this season, only three posted an ERA below four: Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana, and Justin Verlander, who they traded away in the middle of the season. Quintana didn't even make his season debut until July 20th this season either, so the Mets really had him for only half the season.

From a team perspective, obviously their numbers took a hit too. Remember their rankings from the 2022 season? Well, in 2023, the Mets ranked 19th in ERA. In WHIP, the Mets dropped from sixth to 21st. They went from allowing the 11th-best opponent's batting average to allowing the 18th-best.

Conclusion

The Mets' pitching staff completely fell on its face in 2023. Add that with arguably their best hitter putting together the worst season of his career and it isn't hard to see how the Mets fell from 101 wins to only 74. At least the Mets have shown a willingness and aggressiveness to seek improvements to their roster. They'll need more of that to get back to the postseason in 2024.