$381M Mets Aren’t the Only Losers

Afternoon Edition

April 20, 2026

The Mets, which have the second-highest payroll in the league, marked their 11th straight loss on Sunday to the Cubs—and their longest losing streak since 2004. The team’s 7–15 record isn’t pretty, but the Mets have some company with several other high-spending teams with dismal on-field performances.

—Eric Fisher

First Up

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Iowa State center Audi Crooks announced she’s transferring to Oklahoma State, where she’ll have one year of eligibility remaining. Read the story.

High-Spending Mets Aren’t Alone in Their Losing Ways

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

MLB’s No. 2 payroll club is in a historic freefall, but they’re hardly alone as four other top-spenders are similarly struggling, upending the league’s normal order and putting several managers on an early hot seat.

The Mets fell to the Cubs, 2–1 in 10 innings, on Sunday, dropping their 11th straight game to represent their longest losing streak since 2004. The Steve Cohen-owned club entered the season with a big budget, as their luxury-tax outlay now stands at $381.7 million, and even loftier ambitions as it chases the two-time defending champion Dodgers. New York, however, has been stymied in the season’s early going by a series of factors including a leaky bullpen and an anemic offense.

The team’s 7–15 record is tied with Kansas City for MLB’s worst mark, and even trails the long-struggling Rockies by two games. The odds are increasingly stacked against the Mets as only four MLB teams with at least a 10-game losing streak reached the postseason that same year. Last year’s Guardians are part of that group, but the Mets’ playoff probability, according to Fangraphs, has been cut nearly in half compared to Opening Day and now stands at 41.6%.

“In big situations, we haven’t come through. Sometimes baseball is on your side, and sometimes baseball is not on your side,” star shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We’ve got to bring it.”

Earlier in the losing streak, Cohen tried to put a brave face on the struggles, saying in a social-media post that he saw “green shoots” of progress. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns similarly said Friday that, “Urgency is not the problem here. There’s plenty of urgency. There’s plenty of want, and sometimes that can lead to things like a higher chase rate [by batters] unfortunately.”

We’ve Got Company

For all the Mets’ on-field problems, though, several other top-spending franchises are having their own issues in the early part of the 2026 season. Among them:

Phillies (No. 4 luxury-tax payroll, $314.2 million): Philadelphia was just swept at Citizens Bank Park by the Braves to complete a 2–7 homestand, the club’s worst nine-game run at home since 2009. The Phillies are now 8–13, just ahead of the Mets. “You’ve got to take the emotion out of it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “This isn’t football, it’s not hockey, where emotion can help you. In this sport, over-emotion can often hurt you. You’ve got to take it out.”
Blue Jays (No. 5 luxury-tax payroll, $309.5 million): After last-year’s dramatic run to Game 7 of the World Series and large-scale ambitions under owner Rogers Communications, injuries and underperformance have created a hangover for the 8–13 club. A 10–4 rout in Phoenix of the Diamondbacks on Sunday, fueled by an eight-run first inning, suggests a potential turnaround, though. “That was the Blue Jays that everyone saw [in 2025],” Toronto outfielder Nathan Lukes said. “That’s what we were missing. We’ve just got to take it with us moving forward.”
Red Sox (No. 6 luxury-tax payroll, $266.1 million): After starting a woeful 2–8 andraising the ire of local fans, Boston has since improved somewhat to an 9–13 mark but the club’s uphill climb continues. A critical series at Fenway Park against archrival Yankees begins Tuesday.
Astros (No. 11 luxury-tax payroll, $236.5 million): After missing the postseason last year for the first time since 2016, Houston has faded even further from its prior dominance and now stands in last place in the AL West division. “We definitely have to look at each other in the mirror and see what things we can do better,” Astros shortstop Carlos Correa said.

As a result, the job security of several managers is now a rising question, with public scrutiny particularly rising around the Mets’ Carlos Mendoza, the Phillies’ Thomson, and the Astros’ Joe Espada.

Those struggles by big-market clubs, meanwhile, have been countered by several low-spending clubs that are confounding expectations in the season’s first month. Despite a No. 28 luxury-tax payroll at $108.3 million, the 12–9 Rays are a half-game out of first place in the AL East division. The Cardinals, the No. 26 spender at $111.6 million, are showing early fruits in their extended rebuilding process with a 13–8 record, fifth best in the National League.

Though it’s still definitely early in the six-month regular season, these situations could also become part of the upcoming labor negotiations between MLB players and owners. Those talks are expected to be fractious and could lead to a management lockout this offseason.

A Conversation with the MLS Commissioner

“Off The Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports” is an event series that features the biggest dealmakers in sports, talking about the future of sports media and technology in an intimate setting. Past guests have included Jimmy Pitaro, Rick Cordella, Gary Bettman, Jay Marine, Mark Shapiro, Hans Schroeder, and Christian Oestlien.

Don Garber, MLS commissioner, is the featured guest on Thursday, April 23, starting at 4 p.m. ET. In this closed-door conversation, Marchand will ask Garber about MLS’s future plans, its Apple deal, the World Cup, and how he looks at AI.

The event is free and includes light appetizers and cocktails. Space is limited so signing up does not guarantee a spot. Request an invite here.

One Big Fig

Reigning Champ

Apr 20, 2026; Boston, MA, USA; John Korir (1) wins the men's division at the 130th running of the Boston Marathon.

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

$200,000

The amount won by Kenyan John Korir, who came in first at the Boston Marathon Monday and set a men’s course record of 2 hours, 1 minute, and 52 seconds. (Korir gets $150,000 for coming in first and an additional $50,000 for setting a new record.) Kori, who also won the 2025 Boston Marathon, beat the previous race record of 2:03:02 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011. Kenyan Sharon Lokedi won the women’s race with a time of 2:18:51.

Loud and Clear

LIV’s PGA Tour Impact

PGA Tour

“I think LIV did the professional golf world a favor.”

—PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, speaking Monday during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show.

Rolapp, who left the NFL last summer to become the PGA Tour’s top executive, compared the disruption LIV Golf has brought since launching in 2022 to leagues that previously challenged the NFL decades ago.

“I think LIV did what the AFL did for the NFL years ago—maybe what the USFL did for the NFL years ago,” Rolapp said. “Basically, competition can make it better. And I think whenever you get competition, you end up figuring out what you do well, what you don’t do well. And I think that’s what LIV did, was expose some things that maybe the PGA Tour could do better.”

As far as the questions surrounding LIV’s future, Rolapp said the PGA Tour is still waiting before trying to welcome back any of the league’s stars like Bryson DeChambeau or Jon Rahm. “We’re thinking about it,” Rolapp said. “We’ll react when we have an opportunity to react.”

Status Report

Three Up, One Push

Mar 23, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Elena Rybakina (KAZ) hits a forehand against Talia Gibson (AUS) (not pictured) on day 7 of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Elena Rybakina ⬆ The Kazakh tennis player won her second title of the season, defeating Karolína Muchová 7–5, 6–1 in the Stuttgart Open final. Rybakina, the 2026 Australian Open champion, earned approximately $188,135 and a brand-new Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet for her victory. She moved up to No. 1 in the WTA race this season with the win.

A.J. Brown ⬆⬇ The Eagles wide receiver is expected to be traded to the Patriots on or after June 1, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The June 1 date is when Brown’s $40 million salary cap can be split across two seasons. During the 2025 season, Brown expressed frustration over his role with the Eagles and called their situation a “sh-t show.”

Brandon Aubrey ⬆ The Cowboys kicker reportedly reached an agreement with Dallas on a four-year extension that makes him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. Aubrey will earn $7 million a year, with $20 million guaranteed. The 30-year-old became a restricted free agent in 2025 after his third season with the Cowboys. Aubrey was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons with Dallas.

Spurs ⬆ Not only did they win their first playoff game since 2019 by defeating the Trail Blazers 111-98, but they did it in colorful fashion at home. San Antonio’s fans were decked out in bright turquoise, pink, and orange to match the “Fiesta” theme of the Spurs’ court and uniforms. The color combination, which strays from the team’s typical black-and-white, received widespread praise from fans.