Just check the Mets since the All-Star break, and you would know their sad story! Notably, their bats have gone ice-cold, and the numbers tell the story. Since the All-Star break, the Mets’ OPS sits at a league-worst .639, while their .213 batting average ranks 29th in MLB. And even the club’s marquee names aren’t immune. Over the last 15 games, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo have combined to hit just .206 (48-for-232) with nine homers and 68 strikeouts.

So, for a lineup once billed as one of baseball’s most formidable, the drop-off has been glaring. While fans were hoping the trade deadline might bring a jolt of firepower, especially with White Sox slugger Luis Robert Jr. reportedly on the Mets’ radar, the front office instead focused on a new center fielder and bullpen help. And now, MLB insider Dan Bartels has revealed the real reason behind the Mets’ surprising inaction at the plate.

“The Mets apparently didn’t want to give up either Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuña, Jacob Reimer, or A.J. Ewing in packages for Luis Robert Jr,” Bartels quoted Jon Heyman.

Well, heading into this year’s trade deadline, a lot of people around baseball thought the Mets were the favorites to land Robert. Analysts, insiders were all predicting he’d be headed to Queens. Moreover, reports even said the Mets were seriously interested in making a deal for the 28-year-old.

But in the end, nothing such happened. Instead, the Mets boosted their outfield by trading for Cedric Mullins from the Orioles. Here, according to Jon Heyman, the Mets drew the line at giving up players like Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuna, or top prospects Jacob Reimer (No. 6) and A.J. Ewing (No. 8). The main holdup? The Mets saw Robert Jr. as more of a short-term rental, since his contract only has $20 million club options for the next two seasons.

Now, that might have made sense…

However, as per Heyman, the Mets were ready to trade their top prospects like Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat for Robert Jr, which contradicts the earlier updates that these top prospects were untouchable. Well, anything it may be, at the end of the day, the Mets were left without any big offensive names from the Trade Deadline. And it gives a stark contrast when the current offensive figures of the Mets are surfacing!

The Mets are still confident in their offense

Well, the Mets’ offensive slump is hard to miss, and Friday’s game against the Brewers was just the latest example. Reportedly, they dropped a 3-2 loss to the NL Central–leading Milwaukee, marking their ninth defeat in their last 10 games. And the skid has pushed them 3 games behind first-place Phillies in the NL East, though they’re still 3 games ahead of the Reds for the final NL wild card spot.

For the unversed, the Mets have been held to three runs or fewer in six of their last nine games. They have managed just 10 total hits over their last three, all losses. However, the lone bright spot on Friday was Juan Soto, who homered in the first inning off Brandon Woodruff. Starling Marte followed with a solo shot in the second to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead.

And then the tables got turned!

After the 2-0 lead, the bats went quiet. The Mets, although they picked up just three more hits all night, two of them in the ninth inning. And eventually, they failed to add more than 1 run, while the Brewers made the mark at the last. However, despite the recent struggles, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns says he still believes in the team’s offense.

“Players are frustrated. At times, I’ve been frustrated. But I believe that this is a good offensive team. I believe in the offense that we have in place, and I’m confident we’re going to see that going forward.”

Well, we are not sure about the source of this confidence, but time is ticking now for the team. October is looming, and it’s more than just survival now for the Mets for a wild-card entry. Considering the Mets being one of the most expensive teams this season, anything short of a postseason success will be deemed a failure!