World Series Champion Says Mets Look Like a Team Expecting to Lose

Joe Maddon didn’t hold back on what he sees from the Mets.

“They’re waiting to lose as opposed to going out there to win,” the former Cubs, Angels and Rays manager said on his weekly appearance on MLB Now. “That’s my opinion.”

It’s a blunt diagnosis, but one that fits. Since mid-June, the Mets are 31–49, collapsing from steady footing to a frantic scramble. They’re 77–73 overall, clinging to the final NL Wild Card spot. Even their recent walk-off win over the Rangers felt less like momentum than a much-needed sigh of relief after an eight-game skid.

Maddon pointed to the body language, the way close games slip away, and the inconsistency of a bullpen he called “a little bit up and down.” He recalled a moment when a pinch hitter lashed a ball down the right-field line — the kind of spark good teams build on. Instead, everything unraveled. To Maddon, that’s not bad luck; it’s a lack of belief.

“I see it, I use my eyeballs,” he said. “The look indicates to me that the confidence is not there. In the latter part of the game … I don’t know that they believe they are that good right now. If they believe they’re not good enough, they’re not going to be.”

For Mets fans, it’s a frustrating truth. Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and Juan Soto headline a lineup with no shortage of stars. Rookie arms like Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong are giving innings. But the results keep tipping the wrong way.

Maddon has been around enough winning and losing clubs to know the difference. His read on the Mets is the kind that stings because it’s simple: until they start playing like a team that expects to win, the standings won’t matter.