Diamondbacks' Tommy Pham discusses Mets' disastrous season

Current Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Tommy Pham is among players formerly associated with the New York Mets stunned by the Amazins' summer collapse. 

"If you got to repeat this season 10 times, I think you’d probably only get that result maybe once," Pham said about the 2023 Mets, per Dan Martin of the New York Post. "Nine out of 10 times, guys would perform like they were expected to." 

The big-spending Mets were supposed to compete with the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East race and/or, at worst, qualify for the playoffs via a wild-card berth. Instead, the Mets were essentially out of postseason contention long before they executed a pre-trade deadline fire sale that included shipping Pham, closer David Robertson and starters Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander out of Queens. 

"I’ve never seen a lot of guys struggle all at once," a seemingly bewildered Pham said about the Mets failing to right the ship before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. "It usually doesn’t work like that."

Pham, 35, acknowledged in May he had "to play better to get more playing time" while with what he thought during the spring was a legitimate World Series contender. He now plays for a Diamondbacks team that began Tuesday possessing a wild-card playoff spot. 

"Before the season, I didn’t think it would happen, so I didn’t make arrangements," Pham said about possibly being traded from the Mets this year. "What I mean by that is in [Cincinnati last year], I had an idea, so I got a small apartment. I packed very light. Here, I did the opposite because I didn’t think the Mets would be selling."

Scherzer and Verlander previously poured cold water over rumors regarding alleged clubhouse issues that impacted the Mets throughout the season. They, like Pham, couldn't explain why the club didn't live up to expectations that hovered over it during spring training. 

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is among players who have publicly backed manager Buck Showalter amid the team's woes. Pham echoed Lindor's comments about the skipper. 

"Buck was great," Pham insisted. "He was honest and a straight shooter. As a player, that’s all you can ask for...The way he handled it, he never threw a player under the bus. He took accountability and took all the heat. It makes you respect him even more."

SNY's Andy Martino (h/t Danny Abriano) reported Tuesday afternoon that, as has been expected for some time, the Mets will officially hire former Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns to serve as their president of baseball operations after this season. It's unclear if Stearns and general manager Billy Eppler will retain Showalter.