Mets GM Billy Eppler not panicking, backs skipper Buck Showalter - ESPN

The New York Mets might be a season-worst eight games under .500 entering Tuesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, but general manager Billy Eppler is not rushing to make any big moves ahead of the deadline.

«We've got a decent amount of runway before the deadline,» Eppler said Tuesday. «We hope that we can change the story. If we can, then we can add. If it doesn't, then we'll just have to create other opportunities and see what else exists out there.»

Mets owner Steven Cohen, meanwhile, tweeted Tuesday that he will hold a news conference before Wednesday night's game.

«I will be doing a press conference tomorrow before the game,» he wrote. «You will get it from me straight.»

The disappointments are starting to pile up with the team's underperformance. The future Hall of Famers at the top of the Mets rotation — Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander — have been mediocre this season while making a combined $86 million. There's the underperformance of star shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is hitting .223. First baseman Pete Alonso has struggled in June hitting .157/.232/.431 since returning from a bone bruise and sprain in his left wrist.

As it stands, the Mets are 16 games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves and 8½ games out in the wild-card race. The 2022 iteration of the Mets, which featured largely the same roster minus Verlander and some bench additions, won 101 games while finishing second in the division behind the Braves, notching a top-six offense, a top-five starting rotation and a top-10 bullpen. The 2023 Mets have taken a step back in every aspect of the game, managing the 16th-best offense, the fifth-worst starting rotation and eighth-worst bullpen.

The roster has dealt with injuries to key players.