The New York Mets are not ready to give up just yet. They might be holding onto a 74.36% chance of making the playoffs, but their situation isn’t one to celebrate. As they navigate a seven-game losing streak, Pete Alonso took it upon himself to awaken the championship spirit of his teammates. And looks like the front office heard him loud and clear, as David Stearns jetted off to Japan this week with his sights set on future salvation.
The Mets are coming off a brutal weekend after being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers. The starting rotation has been particularly catastrophic, allowing 23 runs during the skid and failing to provide length or quality. But their hope isn’t lost. As Alonso refuses to let the mounting losses break his team’s spirit, he delivers a defiant message amid the chaos. “We have the utmost confidence in each other… If there’s any group that can battle through adversity, fight to the end, and get the job done, I believe it’s this group,” he asserted.
But words alone can’t fix the dire situation. Inspired by the Dodgers, who brought along with star prospect from Japan, the Mets’ baseball operations president landed in Japan. His eyes appear to be set on a special talent, Munetaka Murakami, the star slugger for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. And you know, an interesting fact? Murakami happens to be Shohei Ohtani’s former teammate. On Tuesday, Stearns was spotted watching Murakami in a high-stakes game against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
New York Mets PBO David Stearns at Meiji Jingu tonight to see Munetaka Murakami https://t.co/pI4W7lNGAu
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) August 12, 2025
At just 25, Murakami is one of Nippon Professional Baseball’s brightest talents. And with his contract set to expire after this season, he could soon be one of the hottest free agents available. Murakami isn’t just a power hitter; he’s a cornerstone type of player. In his eight seasons with the Yakult Swallows, he’s shown the kind of versatility that makes MLB scouts take notice, splitting time between first and third base without losing a step. His bat speaks for itself: a career .273 average paired with a .394 on-base percentage and a slugging mark over .540. Add in 246 home runs, 165 doubles, and a .943 OPS, and you have a player who has combined consistency with game-changing power for nearly a decade in Nippon Professional Baseball.
In New York, Alonso holds the contract with a player opt-out set for this winter. It’s an option he is widely expected to exercise after betting on himself with a short-term, $54 million deal. Should the Mets and Alonso fail to agree on a new long-term contract, the Mets could turn to Murakami. And given his stats, it won’t be a bad idea. In 2022, he smashed 56 home runs in a single season, breaking a record that had stood for 58 years. This was the most by a Japanese-born player, previously held by the legendary Sadaharu Oh. But would it be easy to bring him on board?
Murakami has drawn interest from multiple MLB teams, but few present as formidable a challenge as the Los Angeles Dodgers. They proven track record in signing top Japanese talent, including stars like Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. This gives them a distinct advantage in courting Murakami. And yet, while front-office eyes are fixed on future possibilities like Murakami, the present reality on the field tells a far more urgent story for the Mets.
Steve Cohen speaks as Mets slide
While Alonso preaches confidence, the harsh reality is that the Mets’ postseason dreams are hanging by the thinnest of threads. The consecutive sweeps haven’t just hurt their pride. They’ve completely flipped the script on what looked like a comfortable playoff run just weeks ago.
Team owner Steve Cohen stepped into the conversation, trying to calm the storm with his own message of belief. “I know how vested our fans are in this team,” Cohen said via NY Post’s Jon Heyman. “While the team has had a difficult run, I still believe in our team and believe they will turn it around. LGM.” But words only go so far when your team keeps finding new ways to lose games they should win.
Image: MLB.com
Right now, the Mets are clinging to the National League’s final wild card spot with just a two-game cushion over the charging Cincinnati Reds. That’s not exactly the breathing room you want when your team looks like it forgot how to play baseball. Every single game has suddenly become a must-win situation, and the pressure is only getting heavier.
Here’s the bottom line: the Mets need to figure things out immediately, or they’ll be watching October baseball from their couches just like the rest of us. All that talent, all those expectations, all that payroll—none of it matters if they can’t stop the bleeding and remember how to win games when the stakes are highest.
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