"Likewise, there have been previous rosters that have found their Octobers surprisingly free despite an ownership hellbent on spending for hardware, possibly even to the level of the Mets' $340 million or so payroll, once inflation has been accounted for. There have even been nosedives as steep as New York's, which saw them go from the sport's best record in June to a mere 83 wins when all the beans were counted."
"From that day in Mid-June when they were 21 games over .500, only two teams had worse records than the Mets: the woeful Nationals, and the I-wish-I-hadn't-just-spent-that-adjective Rockies. But it wasn't only the collapse. It was that you could see it coming from so far away, the lip of the abyss approaching and the Mets powerless to change course. They went out like chumps."
The New York Mets began the season as a top team, holding the sport's best record in June before a prolonged collapse reduced them to 83 wins. An expensive payroll near $340 million failed to prevent a three-and-a-half month decline characterized by fracturing roster cohesion and visible inability to adjust. The team lost both season series to the Reds, surrendered a six-game lead in early September, and posted a 7–14 finish that included an eight-game losing streak. The Mets also dropped a series to the struggling Nationals on the penultimate weekend and entered the final weekend needing wins they could not deliver.
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