The 2023 MLB postseason is building up to be one of the most diverse in recent memory, having multiple teams that are in the bottom 10 of budget and payroll which is simply unheard of. However, with the teams with less money succeeding we can’t help but ask where are the teams with the highest payrolls and why haven’t they made the playoffs.
New York Mets – The New York Mets probably had some of the most hype we’ve ever seen going into the 2023 MLB season because of how many superstars they had signed. With a $340 million payroll, people assumed they would be excited to watch. In reality, the Mets crashed and burned. Multiple factors impacted why the Mets failed to make the playoffs with one of the main reasons being how good the Atlanta Braves have been all year. The Braves had historic seasons from 3 of their players, one being Ronald Acuna Jr. who hit 40 home runs and stole 70 bases for the first time in MLB history, while his first base counterpart Matt Olson hit 53 home runs in a single season. To put it in perspective, the Braves had 8 of their players play in the all-star game which is nearly a third of their roster. Having to play that team is never easy, but it’s especially hard when your best homerun hitter was struggling with injury all year. Pete Alonso was supposed to be out for the entire month of July with a bone bruise but was back within 11 days, so he wasn’t fully healthy for most of the season. However there were multiple other stars to help score runs, but it never feels like enough when you have the worst bullpen in the MLB. The Mets took a bet on both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander and both pitchers were just not very good. By the trade deadline, they were both off the roster. The Mets missed on their big signings and they look to rebound next year after such a disappointing season.
New York Yankees – The Yankees collapse was probably one of the more complicated ones because all the pieces were there, it’s just they couldn’t seem to put it together. At the beginning of the season and the beginning of the all-star break, the Yankees looked really good and were 11 games above .500. What happened? Well, it was a mix of players just struggling to perform, being injured, or just being too old and unathletic to play. Superstar right-fielder Aaron Judge was injured multiple times throughout the year which made it so he wasn’t playing much. When the Yankees got hit by these types of big injuries, they didn’t have the depth in their roster and prospects to cover the spots. On May 28, Fernando Tatis Jr. smashed his head into first-basemen Anthony Rizzo’s knee which sidelined him for multiple days and was tending to practically the whole year. Aaron Judge made a game-saving play against the Dodgers when he crashed into a wall to catch a line drive hit by J.D. Martinez, but his toe got caught on the concrete and he tore a ligament which benched him for the next 42 games. Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson were both out as well which left multiple huge open spots that the Yankees couldn’t fill. These huge injuries were the reason that the Yankees took such a nosedive toward the end of the season. As long as the Yankees stay healthy though, they will remain World Series contenders in the years to come.
San Diego Padres – The team had a lot of hype coming towards it since acquiring outfielder Juan Soto in a trade the prior year so people were ready for a very good year of baseball. The Padres had a payroll of nearly $250 million and somehow still managed to finish just around .500. Star players like Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, and Fernando Tatis Jr. had upset seasons. The team struggled with runners in scoring positions and close games. They tied an MLB record by dropping their first 12 extra-inning games, before taking down the Giants in 10 innings at the end of the season. They also lost multiple of their good pitchers such as Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish who were both putting together very good seasons before injury. This team has all the potential in the world to become a World Series contender, but their star players need to put it together. Sometimes players underperforming like this is a result of management, which the Padres don’t do well. Their head coach, Bob Melvin, struggles to win playoff games and people thought that he would be able to make this team great, but in reality, it seems like he’s holding them back. The Padres need something to change for next year because this kind of performance with that roster is unacceptable.
