Blue Notes
Blue Notes: How a $357 Million Team Finished Last
A 74-88 finish, a 10-21 April, a manager fired in June, a deadline sell-off and a late push that came too late. The 2026 Mets post-mortem, and the three things that actually broke.
New York Mets · One set a week
The Mets,
from the front office out.
The money, the dugout, and the roster, explained in plain English. Payroll, the luxury tax, the CBA and how this front office actually builds a team. We don't do daily news. We play one set a week and we mean it.
CBA expires Dec 1, 11:59 p.m. ET
65 days to a possible lockout
Owners want a salary cap ($245.3M) with a floor ($171.2M). The union calls it a non-starter. A lockout on Dec. 2 is widely expected.
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- The Front OfficePayroll, contracts, the luxury tax, the CBA, and how Stearns runs the shop.
- The BandstandThe manager, the coaching staff, player development, and clubhouse culture.
- Liner NotesRoster analysis, position-by-position breakdowns, and free-agent targets.
- StandardsHistory, Queens, and what it means to root for this team from anywhere.
- SolosQuick takes, 300–500 words, when the news breaks.
- Blue NotesThe losses that hurt, the contracts that sting, and what went wrong.
- ChangesTransactions, the 40-man, and every roster move that matters.