Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer Trade Talk Dodged by Mets' Steve Cohen amid Rumors

The New York Mets have made some of the splashiest offseason additions in the sport in recent winters, but that hasn't kept them from being one of the biggest disappointments in baseball this season, as the team is just 36-43.

And if those results don't change, it wouldn't be shocking if some major changes followed, though team owner Steve Cohen indicated to reporters on Wednesday he wasn't ready to make any brash moves just yet:

"All is not lost yet, but it's getting late," Cohen told reporters. "I'm preparing my management team for all possibilities. If they don't get better, we have decisions to make at the trade deadline. That's not my preferred end result. We're preparing all contingencies."

The Mets accumulated a massive payroll this past offseason—at $360 million, it's the largest in MLB history—shelling out major contracts to Verlander (two years, $86.6 million), Brandon Nimmo (eight years, $162 million), Edwin Díaz (five years, $102 million) and Kodai Senga (five years, $75 million), among others.

That followed a big spend in the previous offseason which included Francisco Lindor's 10-year, $341 million extension and a three-year, $130 million deal for Scherzer.

The Mets went 101-61 in 2022, but a late-season collapse saw them lose the NL East divisional crown and they were eliminated in the Wild Card round by the San Diego Padres.

This season they already find themselves 16.5 games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves (53-27) and also trailing the Miami Marlins (46-34) and Philadelphia Phillies (41-37) in the division.

As for fighting into the Wild Card picture, they are 8.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers (44-34) for the final spot.

In other words, things are looking bleak for New York's postseason hopes heading into July. And it's been a huge surprise to Cohen.

"I watch every game, I watch what's going on. Would I have expected us to be in this position at the beginning of the season? No. But here we are," he said. "It's kind of weird. It's kind of strange to me. I don't know if the players are anxious. I don't know if they're pressing."

Whatever the case may be, if the Mets don't turn things around, changes will be coming, likely ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline.