Following a 101-win season in 2022 which netted them a Wild Card berth, the New York Mets took several steps back in 2023, finishing with a record of 75-87 and falling short of the postseason.
Things got so bad in fact that the Mets were sellers at the trade deadline. They shipped off players such as Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Robertson, and Tommy Pham.
Pham is now with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who need just three wins to capture their first World Series title since 2001. The 35-year-old is having a postseason to remember. He owns a .291 batting average with three home runs, three RBI, and an .813 OPS.
Tommy Pham throws shade at Mets
A few days ago, Pham spoke about his time with the Mets and was very blunt in his assessment of the organization, even going as far as to say that the Mets should be embarrassed for falling short of the postseason, especially with the level of talent that was on their roster.
"That team is more talented than this team. Let's be honest here," said the veteran outfielder. "But what makes this team different is everyone is still at this level trying to reach their max potential. The drive wasn't there with the Mets. That drive is here. That's what separates this team from most teams. You have guys that are still trying to get better every day. You have teammates trying to help you out, and that's dangerous."
Pham was certainly brutally honest with his take on the Mets. Clearly, he feels as though the Mets didn't have the drive and desire to win that Arizona has, despite being a more talented team on paper, from his point of view.
The veteran outfielder's comments could potentially also suggest that there might have been a lack of leadership and accountability with the Mets this season, which led to their ultimate downfall. Pham obviously is not impressed with the way the Mets conducted themselves this season with such talent on the roster.
The 35-year-old slugger clearly feels that Arizona has what it takes to win, things that don't always jump out at the casual baseball fan. He even challenged anybody associated with the Mets to be honest with themselves and take a hard look in the mirror if they disagreed with his take.
Arizona won just 84 games during the regular season, but they ultimately snuck into the postseason as the third Wild Card team in the National League. In fact, they were the last team to qualify for the postseason this year.
