NEW YORK — Shortly after his team’s 10-3 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor indicated he wanted to convene a players-only meeting. Lindor and other veterans made sure the players didn’t spread out across the cafeteria, the trainer’s table or their cars. Instead, they stayed in a central room in the clubhouse to continue their discussions.
Mets players debated for nearly 40 minutes about how they got to this point — 11 games under .500 by the end of May, and seemingly doing everything they could to lose baseball games — and nearly every player spoke, according to Brandon Nimmo, another veteran.
“It just felt like it had reached a boiling point,” Nimmo said. “It felt like the right time to do it. I tried to give it space.”
For the Mets, words lead to actions. Wednesday’s loss was further highlighted by relief pitcher Jorge Lopez throwing his glove high into the stands after being ejected by third-base umpire Ramon De Jesus. Manager Carlos Mendoza called the action “unacceptable” and spoke with Lopez about it after the game, along with team president David Stearns. Lopez later said he hadn’t spoken to Mendoza, which was a lie, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting.
The source added that team officials decided Wednesday night to designate Lopez for waivers.
Asked after the game about throwing his gloves, Lopez said he didn’t regret doing so, adding, “I don’t care.” [expletive] The native Spanish-speaking player then uttered comments in English which those in attendance interpreted as Lopez calling the Mets “the worst team of all time.” [expletive] He called himself “the worst teammate in MLB history.” [expletive] Asked later in the interview if he had intended to call the Mets “the worst team in MLB,” Lopez replied, “Yeah, I probably was.”
A clubhouse source then asked Lopez to clarify his comments again, saying he meant it both ways: “the worst teammate on the worst team in the league.”
The incident was a sideshow to what was essentially another disappointing loss: The Mets tied the game midway through the game, gave up six runs in the eighth inning, and ultimately lost by seven. The Mets have now lost three straight games to the Dodgers and eight of their past nine games.
But until Wednesday, the Mets had been reluctant to convene a team meeting — Mendoza preferred to handle his business privately in one-on-one conversations and players focused on individual pursuits — but with the season looming, Lindor said he “intuitively” felt now was the right time to bring the team together.
Much of the messaging focused on process and the idea that for some Mets players, even proven veterans, it might be time to change habits that are no longer working, according to players who were there.
“We just haven’t done anything,” said reliever Adam Ottavino, who gave up four runs in the eighth inning and was the losing pitcher. “We’re not holding them score when we need to, we’re not getting hits when we need to, we’re not putting our at-bats together, we’re not playing defense. It’s just all out of whack. We’re just terrible right now.”
While the Mets have undergone significant roster turnover in recent years, many of the team’s core players — from Lindor, Nimmo and Ottavino to Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz and Jeff McNeil — will remain part of the 101-win roster in 2022. But none of those players have had the same kind of success.
Until Wednesday, Mets officials had resisted taking such drastic steps as firing a coach, releasing a key player or even calling a team meeting. That changed on Wednesday. After an internal discussion about the team’s shortcomings with 107 games remaining in the regular season, the fourth-place Mets parted ways with a relief pitcher who not only made critical comments but also embarrassed team officials with his behavior.
It may not be enough to save their season or even avoid the possibility of further sales at the trade deadline.
But at least there was some action.
“Before the All-Star break and before the trade deadline, you have to stay above water,” Lindor said. “You can’t have your nose in the water. I’m not a good swimmer, so you’ve got to find a way to at least get your shoulders in the water, because then decisions will be made and they’re decisions we don’t want to make.”
