Former President Donald Trump recently criticized the New York Mets' performance and high payroll during a speech in Georgia, contrasting them with the success of the Atlanta Braves.
Speaking to a crowd, Trump highlighted the Mets' significant expenditure, stating, "The Mets have the highest salary in baseball, and they lose all the time." He made the remarks while praising Mike Plant, CEO of the Braves Development Company, suggesting the Mets "maybe steal this guy."
"You don't realize how good he is," Trump said of Plant. "There are teams where they never go down. Then you have other teams, they've been rebuilding for years. I don't want to mention teams, because I know all the owners are old friends of mine, I get myself in trouble, but they're always rebuilding. This guy never rebuilds. He just stays at the top. He's amazing."
Trump's comments come as the Mets are on pace to lose approximately 95 games this season, which would be their most since 2003. Despite a league-high payroll of $329 million, the team has struggled. The Mets currently rank 27th in batting average, 26th in runs scored, and 28th in on-base plus slugging (OPS). Their pitching rotation also holds the ninth-worst earned run average in the league.
Individual player performances have also been a point of concern for the Mets. Jorge Polanco is batting .165 in an injury-affected season, and Luis Robert is hitting .211 after dealing with injuries. Bo Bichette is on pace for the worst season of his career, and Marcus Semien is batting .209 with a .606 OPS. Devin Williams has a 4.54 ERA, though Luke Weaver has a 1.98 ERA.
The Mets' payroll is notably bolstered by Juan Soto's record-setting 15-year contract for $765 million, signed in December 2024, and Francisco Lindor's salary of nearly $34 million. The team also let Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz depart in free agency and traded Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, while acquiring Polanco, Robert, Bichette, Devin Williams, and Weaver.
As of the speech, the Mets' record was 43-60, placing them 17.0 games behind the Braves in the National League East standings.