During the 2022/2023 MLB off-season, the Mets did what every fan base wishes their team would do - they spent big. They not only retained their own pending free agents, but they went out and got a couple of the biggest available free agents in Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga. When the season started, their payroll totaled more than $330 million. Things looked bright.
Then they went 75-87, finishing fourth in the crowded NL East, and dealt away many of those excellent, expensive players at the deadline because they knew they weren’t going to be able to compete.