3 examples of how the Red Sox outdueled the 2026 NY Mets in a similar situation

The Boston Red Sox swept the New York Mets to end the first-half, but the bigger trio of victories may have started much earlier than the one and only time the teams faced each other in 2026. Under David Stearns and Craig Breslow, these two clubs have operated in similar manner. Ivy Leaguers must share a brain.

Both clubs came into the offseason with some similar needs and targets. In the days leading up to a trade deadline, what has defined their seasons are massive streaks. The Mets lost 12 straight in April. The Red Sox ripped together 15 wins in a row in July.

If ever there was a time to believe it was their year, it’s now for Boston. On the opposite side of the spectrum, seeing the Red Sox successfully pull off these three Mets failures is a reminder that the dead bird on Opening Day was no friendly omen.

This is the difference between the 2026 Mets and Red Sox

1) The Red Sox fired their early manager and came out better for it, the Mets waited too long for it to matter

For the longest time, the idea that the Red Sox fired Alex Cora early and the Mets didn’t move on from Carlos Mendoza was a non-talking point because Boston had barely played any better. It’s hard to believe Cora was the problem nor does anyone seem to suggest so. He could have been hired by numerous teams once he lost his job in Boston.

We can now officially wonder if there was a Mets run in them if they moved on from Mendoza as early as the Red Sox did with Cora. The sad thing is if the Mets did fire Mendoza and Andy Green (or whomever took the job) didn’t get better results, they would have still been an outlier from the Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. We’ll never know and that’s the hardest part of accepting the unnecessarily too long tenure of Mendoza in 2026.

2) The Red Sox traded for made obvious and logical trades and free agent signings, the Mets tried to fit pieces in places they didn’t belong

The Red Sox actually took in a few players who made sense for the Mets. They traded for Willson Contreras who would have been ideal at first base. Sonny Gray, less so, could be a justifiable rotation addition for the Mets. We can’t get on them too much for that. Ranger Suarez has been good for them when healthy. ESPN’s Buster Olney called it “inevitable” the Mets would sign him or Framber Valdez.

Instead, the Mets tried to fit some pieces where they didn’t belong. Jorge Polanco as a first baseman/DH always felt weird and with the way it developed, currently sits as maybe the worst offseason move of all. He has been hurt, unable to play the field, and unproductive when he does get in there. The Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo trade will always be an unpopular choice. The Mets also came into the year with quantity over quality starting pitching depth. Maybe because someone in the Mets front office stabbed a Greek God’s cyclops son in the eye, the Mets were cursed with practically every move they ended up making this winter while things have gone well for the Red Sox.

3) The Red Sox rightfully let star free agent Alex Bregman walk, the Mets are still looking to replace Pete Alonso’s production

It’s not just what was added that has gone well for the Red Sox and not so great for the Mets. They let Alex Bregman walk in free agency and until recently, the replacement Caleb Durbin was one of the league’s worst hitters. The numbers are now somewhat similar with Durbin producing and Bregman looking like a Chicago Cubs accident.

The Mets haven’t had much luck with the free agents they let walk away other than Edwin Diaz, whom they did try to sign. Pete Alonso isn’t having a career-year and yet his power and RBI production remain among the league’s best. We all figured Alonso would have a good year, but that’s not the issue. How the Mets went about replacing him is what continues to haunt them. Jared Young becoming your best defensive and offensive first baseman of the year wasn’t the plan nor is it acceptable.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow