It was reported last week that New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and team owner Steve Cohen "are going to wait this out as long as possible" before they start considering trading key contributors as part of a summer fire sale. 

That said, the Mets ended the first weekend of June with a record of 29-36, and there continues to be no strong indication that the current New York squad will complete an in-season turnaround this summer. On Monday, Tim Britton of The Athletic explained why things may get worse for the 2026 Mets over the next couple of months. 

Mets are going to have to start beating good teams soon

"I’m going to keep harping on the schedule because I think it’s a major factor in the Mets’ trade deadline preparation," Britton wrote. "Back in the spring, I looked at the hardest stretches of the schedule based on preseason expectations. The toughest 15-game stretch was going to culminate on July 29, just a few days before the deadline. I’ve updated that analysis with teams’ current winning percentages, and the hardest 15-game stretch of the season will culminate on … Aug. 1 — just one game before the deadline." 

A noteworthy injury crisis is partly to blame for the Mets' woes this spring. Shortstop Francisco Lindor hasn't played since he suffered a calf injury on April 22, but he may return to the lineup before June comes to an end. 

That said, manager Carlos Mendoza seems to understand that Lindor likely won't be an immediate savior who plays at an All-Star level as soon as he resumes facing MLB pitchers.

"The Mets do not have a 15- or 30-game stretch in which their opponents are collectively under .500 for the rest of the season," Britton continued. "The only seven-game stretches with opponents collectively under .500 revolve around that homestand against the Kansas City Royals and Red Sox right before the All-Star break and when they play the San Francisco Giants and Marlins back-to-back in early September." 

The way things are going, casual Mets fans may tap out of following the season by the time early September arrives. 

Mets will have to stop being a one-man team

Britton also pointed out that the 2026 Mets have largely been downright terrible whenever star outfielder Juan Soto hasn't been available. 

"The other way to carve up the Mets’ season positively is to point out that they’re actually 26-22 if Soto starts," Britton said. "They went 3-12 without him in April, including that entire 12-game losing streak, and then another 0-2 when he was sick in late May. New York scored 42 runs in those 17 games without Soto (2.47 per game). It has scored 4.65 per game when he’s started. That is the gap between the ninth-best offense in baseball this season and one that would comfortably be the worst of the live-ball era."

In short, the Mets could be one Soto-related setback away from completely falling apart and from trading at least a couple of players who aren't locked down via multiyear deals. The Mets are off Monday before they begin a three-game home series versus the St. Louis Cardinals (35-28) on Tuesday.