The New York Mets entered the 2026 season with one of the highest payrolls in the sport. Through 80 games, the team somehow has one of the worst records in baseball.
But the Mets hit a low point Wednesday, getting swept in a double-header vs. the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs scored 10 runs in both games, but that wasn’t the most embarrassing aspect of the Mets’ losses.
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That came in the second game of the doubleheader, which saw the Mets make an astounding six infield errors in a 10-5 loss.
Yes, there is a compilation of every single one of those errors.
In case you need a full accounting of the errors:
• Francisco Lindor bobbled a ground ball in the first inning. It didn’t lead to any runs.
• Marcus Semien bobbled a ground ball in the fourth inning. Three runs scored, though only one of them was unearned due to the error.
• Marcus Semien dropped a pop up in the seventh inning. It didn’t lead to any runs.
• Bo Bichette bobbled a ground ball in the eighth inning.
• Two batters later, Mark Vientos made an errant throw on a ball that led to a run scoring. That run was unearned thanks to Bichette and Vientos’ errors.
• Vientos couldn’t handle a hot shot in the ninth inning. It ignited a Cubs rally, in which the team scored three unearned runs.
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Vientos’ second error proved to be the breaking point for both the Mets’ announcers and the team’s fans. Following that error, Mets fans started chanting for former Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.
Alonso, who left the Mets in the offseason, is posting the best fielding numbers of his career in his first season with the Baltimore Orioles.
The Mets’ announcers also seemingly had enough. Following Vientos’ second error, Gary Cohen pulled no punches about the team’s performance. He called it “unprecedented,” and added, “This team is in the depths of despair.”
Ron Darling put the focus on players being forced to play out of position, eventually saying the organization has to question whether this team is good enough to win this season.
After the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said it was an “embarrassing” day. “Everyone is pissed. Everyone is frustrated,” he added.
The organization didn’t wait long to respond to Darling’s criticisms. Shortly after the second game of the doubleheader ended, the Mets traded lefty starter David Peterson to the Cubs for infield prospect Cole Mathis.
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The move could be the first of many for the Mets, who sit at just 34-46 on the year, just two wins better than the Colorado Rockies in the National League.
The move could also be a further indictment on the Mets’ infield defense. Peterson has one of the highest ground-ball rates in baseball this season. With the Mets this season, he posted a 6.09 ERA. But that figure came with a 3.85 FIP, suggesting Peterson should have gotten much better results.
A move to Chicago, where the Cubs boast one of the best defensive infields in the game, could work wonders for Peterson’s numbers … and confidence. It must have felt demoralizing watching the Mets’ infield boot routine ground balls every time he took the mound.
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