“We understand the frustration that fans feel.”

New York Mets manager Buck Showalter, 67, has spoken candidly about the booing of home fans.

“He’s very aware of the boos that are directed at him and the team,” Sports Network New York (SNY) quoted Showalter as saying in a recent interview.

The Mets have a total payroll of $348.47 million this season, ranking first among the 30 teams in Major League Baseball. However, as of Aug. 25, they are 46-53 and have a .465 winning percentage, good for fourth place out of five teams in the National League East.

They have a whopping 18.5 games in hand on first-place Atlanta. They’re also 6.5 games behind third-place Philadelphia. They’re also in eighth place in the National League wild card race, seven games behind the leaders. It’s safe to say that barring a major turnaround, the Reds won’t make the postseason this year.

With great expectations come great disappointments. As a result, Mets fans have been booing Showalter and his players more frequently, even at home games.

“We recognize the frustration of the fans,” Showalter said. We have a way to control that frustration and stop it,” Showalter said. “That’s what we’re good at. They want us to win, and they want us to do better than we’re doing. That’s what we want,” he defended.

But it’s not getting any easier. The Mets are just 4-6 in their last 10 games. Barring a rebound, they’re unlikely to reach five wins on the season.

The top 10 teams in the major leagues this season in terms of total payroll are the New York Yankees, San Diego, Philadelphia, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Toronto, Atlanta, Texas, and Houston. Only two of these teams have a winning percentage below .500: the Mets (0.475) and San Diego (0.475).

In response, local media in the U.S. are suggesting that the Mets could be sellers at the trade deadline next month. The Mets’ roster features some of the league’s best starting pitchers, including Max Scherzer (39) and Justin Verlander (40), as well as a number of bullpen options, including Brooks Reilly (35), who previously played for Lotte in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO).

“Even if the Mets were to sell, they would likely categorize their best player, first baseman Pete Alonso, 29, as untradeable and wouldn’t even discuss him with other teams,” SNY said.

The Florida native made his major league debut in 2019 and has since developed into one of the league’s most dominant sluggers, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award after hitting 53 home runs that year. The three-time All-Star topped the Home Run Derby in 2019 and led the National League with 131 RBIs last year. This season, he has 26 home runs and 63 RBIs.

“Alonso will be a free agent after next season,” the source said, “and it’s likely the Mets will discuss a long-term deal with him after this season. If those discussions don’t materialize, he could be traded next season 메이저사이트.”

The Mets’ goal this year was to win the World Series. The media and fans alike expected that. However, the current state of affairs at the end of the season has blown everyone’s expectations out of the water.