The 2023 Mets have faced no shortage of criticism for their disastrous play — but now, a franchise great is speaking out.
Speaking on The Post’s “Amazin’ But True” podcast, Mets legend Ed Kranepool blasted the 2023 Mets for their catrastrophic collapse and willingness to give up on the season.
The franchise great, who played a record 18 seasons in Queens from 1962 to 1979 — the longest-tenured Met ever — identified problems both on the field and in the front office.
“You need some players out on the field that lead the rest of the team and show us that they can do it every day and they are out to win, and the rest of the guys will follow them,” Kranepool said.
“Right now, they have a very flaccid ballclub, very low-key, they just try to go out there and win the ballgames themselves, There’s no excitement right now, so they do need a little pep, they need something… they’ve been very quiet all year, nothing seems to bother them. Not winning or losing, they just go through the motions, and that’s not the right thing to do.”
The Mets (55-66) appeared to give up on the 2023 season at the trade deadline, dealing away future Hall-of-Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, as well as valuable expiring contracts in Tommy Pham, Mark Canha and David Robertson.
Kranepool, who won a World Series with the Mets in 1969 and a National League pennant in 1973 as the team’s longtime first baseman, said he thought selling off the team’s veterans was the wrong decision, despite owner Steve Cohen’s urging that they were building for the long haul.
“I don’t understand what they did the last three weeks, dumping their players, they [were] only six games behind the other clubs. In 1969 and 1973, we were a lot further back, and we came on and won the pennant. I think he gave up a little soon, and the fans here are tough to deal with,” Kranepool said.
The first baseman added that he thought the team’s losing culture this year could persist until next season.
“There’s a carryover no question about it. They were expected to win this year, they thought they had the best club in baseball that money could buy, it doesn’t work out like that, you’ve gotta put players on the field that can work together and perform together, they struggled.”
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