2021 Mets make wrong kind of history by clinching losing season

The Mets spent more than 100 days in first place but will still finish with a losing record

The New York Mets won't make the postseason, or even finish with a winning record in 2021. But they did make some history -- the wrong kind of history. According to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, the Mets are the first team in Major League Baseball's history to spend as much time as they did in first place (103 days) and still finish with a losing record.

The Mets, who entered Tuesday with a 73-82 record, were in the catbird seat in the National League East as recently as Aug. 13. At that point, the Mets were 60-56 and were on pace to win 84 games. (Even now, the division-leading Atlanta Braves have won only 83 games.) The Mets have gone 13-26 since as part of a dreadful second half that has seen them prevail in 37 percent of their contests, or at a 60-win pace.

The Mets entered the spring with playoff aspirations. New owner Steve Cohen had brought renewed optimism to the franchise, along with star shortstop Francisco Lindor, starter Carlos Carrasco, and catcher James McCann. A seemingly endless array of injuries and underperformance prevented the Mets from fulfilling their promise.

Predictably, Mets manager Luis Rojas is now believed to be on the proverbial hot seat. As CBS Sports' Matt Snyder detailed on Monday:

Given all that has gone down with this organization since new owner Steve Cohen took over, it really feels like a house cleaning is in order this offseason. They need a new president of baseball operations and probably general manager. Once those positions are filled, surely the new blood will want to hand pick a manager. As far as Rojas goes, I'm not sure we could absolutely pin the disappointing season on him, but at some point, the buck stops with the manager. That's just part of the business. I'd be shocked if he's the Mets' manager on Opening Day 2022. 

Manager wouldn't be the only staffing change the Mets make this winter. They also have to find a new general manager, their fourth since the beginning of the 2020 season. Cohen dismissed Brodie Van Wagenen when he took over the franchise. He then fired Jared Porter after reports surfaced of Porter's harassment of a female reporter. Interim general manager Zack Scott was unlikely to take over on a full-time basis anyway, but his recent arrest for driving under the influence sealed the deal. 

The Mets will host the Miami Marlins for four games beginning on Tuesday before shipping off to Atlanta for a season-ending three-game set against the Braves.