The 2023 New York Mets season was the franchise's 62nd season in Major League Baseball, their 15th at Citi Field, and their third under majority owner Steve Cohen.
The Mets entered the 2023 season with high expectations after finishing the 2022 season with a 101–61 record. However, the season was a major disappointment with injuries to key players, poor performances from players such as Starling Marte, Max Scherzer, and Jeff McNeil, and controversy within the organization and around players. The Mets fell below .500 in early June and became sellers on the August 1st trade deadline. On September 21, the Mets sealed their fifth losing season in seven years when they suffered their 82nd loss of the year, 5–4, to the Philadelphia Phillies. In doing so, New York became the fourth team in Major League history to suffer a losing season one year after winning 100+ games, joining the 1986 Cardinals, the 1971 Reds, and the 1932 Cardinals.
On the following day, September 22, the Mets were eliminated from playoff contention for the sixth time in seven seasons. The Mets finished the regular season 75–87, giving them a fourth-place finish. On October 1, the Mets announced one year after Buck Showalter won NL Manager of the Year, that they had fired Showalter as manager following the season. On October 5, Billy Eppler would resign as their general manager.
Offseason Rule changes Pursuant to the CBA, new rule changes will be in place for the 2023 season:
institution of a pitch clock between pitches; limits on pickoff attempts per plate appearance; limits on defensive shifts requiring two infielders to be on either side of second and be within the boundary of the infield; and larger bases (increased to 18-inch squares);
Transactions 2022 November 9 – re-signed relief pitcher/closer Edwin Díaz to a 5-year, $102 million contract, which includes an opt-out after the 2025 season, a $20 million team option for 2028 and a full no-trade clause. November 18 – acquired right-handed pitchers Jeff Brigham and Elieser Hernández from the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor league pitcher Franklin Sanchez and outfielder Jake Mangum. December 5 – signed three-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Justin Verlander to a 2-year, $86.7 million contract, which includes a $35 million vesting option for 2025. The Mets also acquired left-handed pitcher Brooks Raley from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor league pitcher Keyshawn Askew. December 9 – signed right-handed relief pitcher David Robertson to a 1-year, $10 million contract. The Mets also signed left-handed starting pitcher José Quintana to a 2-year, $26 million contract. December 10 – re-signed outfielder Brandon Nimmo to an 8-year, $162 million contract. The Mets also signed right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga from the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to a 5-year, $75 million contract. December 15 – signed catcher Omar Narváez to a 1-year, $8 million contract with a player option for 2024 worth $7 million (a deal worth up to $15 million if he exercises that option). December 20 – re-signed right-handed relief pitcher Adam Ottavino to a 2-year, $14.5 million contract including an opt-out after the 2023 season. December 22 – signed infielder Danny Mendick to a one-year, $1 million contract.
2023 January 14 – re-signed first baseman Pete Alonso to a 1-year, $14.5 million contract for the 2023 season avoiding arbitration. January 18 – re-signed catcher Tomás Nido to a 2-year, $3.7 million contract, which covers his remaining arbitration years. He will earn $1.6 million in 2023 and $2.1 million in 2024. The Mets also signed outfielder Tommy Pham to a 1-year, $6 million contract. January 27 – re-signed utility player Jeff McNeil to a 4-year, $50 million contract which includes a club option for 2027 that could increase the total value to $63.7 million.
Regular season Transactions 2023 May 4 – signed right-handed relief pitcher Dominic Leone to a one-year contract. The deal is worth $1.5 million prorated for the time he missed (actual value is closer to $1.2 million). June 23 – traded infielder Eduardo Escobar and cash considerations to the Los Angeles Angels for pitching prospects Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux. The Mets were reportedly paying Escobar's salary down to the $720,000 league minimum. July 3 – acquired right-handed relief pitchers Trevor Gott and Chris Flexen from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for left-handed pitcher Zach Muckenhirn. July 27 – traded closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins for two Florida Complex League prospects, infielder Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez. July 29 – traded right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers in exchange for infield prospect Luisangel Acuña. July 31 – traded outfielder Mark Canha to the Milwaukee Brewers for right-handed pitching prospect Justin Jarvis. August 1 – traded right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander back to the Houston Astros for outfield prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. The Mets also traded outfielder Tommy Pham to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for infield prospect Jeremy Rodriguez, along with trading relief pitcher Dominic Leone to the Los Angeles Angels for infield/outfield prospect Jeremiah Jackson. The Mets also acquired right-handed pitcher Phil Bickford and left-handed pitcher Adam Kolarek from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations.
Game log Regular season LegendMets WinMets LossGame Postponed Eliminated from playoff raceBold = Mets team member
|- style="background:#bfb;" | 1 || March 30 || @ Marlins || 5–3 || Scherzer (1–0) || Scott (0–1) || Robertson (1) || LoanDepot Park (31,397) || 1–0 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 2 || March 31 || @ Marlins || 1–2 || Luzardo (1–0) || Peterson (0–1) || Puk (1) || LoanDepot Park (14,797) || 1–1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 3 || April 1 || @ Marlins || 6–2 || Megill (1–0) || Nardi (0–1) || — || LoanDepot Park (14,695) || 2–1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 4 || April 2 || @ Marlins || 5–1 || Senga (1–0) || Rogers (0–1) || — || LoanDepot Park (18,322) || 3–1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 5 || April 3 || @ Brewers || 0–10 || Peralta (1–0) || Carrasco (0–1) || Wilson (1) || American Family Field (42,017) || 3–2 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 6 || April 4 || @ Brewers || 0–9 || Miley (1–0) || Scherzer (1–1) || — || American Family Field (19,412) || 3–3 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 7 || April 5 || @ Brewers || 6–7 || Williams (1–0) || Ottavino (0–1) || — || American Family Field (18,387) || 3–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 8 || April 7 || Marlins || 9–3 || Megill (2–0) || Cabrera (0–1) || — || Citi Field (43,590) || 4–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 9 || April 8 || Marlins || 5–2 || Senga (2–0) || Rogers (0–2) || Robertson (2) || Citi Field (42,306) || 5–4 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 10 || April 9 || Marlins || 2–7 || Scott (1–1) || Carrasco (0–2) || — || Citi Field (33,697) || 5–5 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 11 || April 10 || Padres || 5–0 || Scherzer (2–1) || Darvish (0–1) || — || Citi Field (30,244) || 6–5 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 12 || April 11 || Padres || 2–4 || Weathers (1–0) || Peterson (0–2) || Hader (4) || Citi Field (30,769) || 6–6 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 13 || April 12 || Padres || 5–2 || Megill (3–0) || Snell (0–2) || Ottavino (1) || Citi Field (34,876) || 7–6 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 14 || April 14 || @ Athletics || 17–6 || Santana (1–0) || Kaprielian (0–2) || — || Oakland Coliseum (11,102) || 8–6 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 15 || April 15 || @ Athletics || 3–2 || Smith (1–0) || Fujinami (0–3) || Robertson (3) || Oakland Coliseum (12,967) || 9–6 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 16 || April 16 || @ Athletics || 4–3 || Yacabonis (1–0) || Moll (0–2) || Robertson (4) || Oakland Coliseum (17,645) || 10–6 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 17 || April 17 || @ Dodgers || 8–6 || Peterson (1–2) || Vesia (0–1) || Ottavino (2) || Dodger Stadium (50,313) || 11–6 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 18 || April 18 || @ Dodgers || 0–5 || Kershaw (3–1) || Megill (3–1) || — || Dodger Stadium (46,884) || 11–7 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 19 || April 19 || @ Dodgers || 5–3 || Yacabonis (2–0) || Syndergaard (0–3) || Ottavino (3) || Dodger Stadium (43,990) || 12–7 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 20 || April 20 || @ Giants || 9–4 || Senga (3–0) || Manaea (0–1) || — || Oracle Park (24,452) || 13–7 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 21 || April 21 || @ Giants || 7–0 || Lucchesi (1–0) || DeSclafani (1–1) || — || Oracle Park (27,551) || 14–7 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 22 || April 22 || @ Giants || 4–7 || Webb (1–4) || Peterson (1–3) || — || Oracle Park (29,912) || 14–8 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 23 || April 23 || @ Giants || 4–5 || Alexander (2–0) || Smith (1–1) || Doval (2) || Oracle Park (27,721) || 14–9 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 24 || April 25 || Nationals || 0–5 || Gray (1–4) || Butto (0–1) || Thompson (1) || Citi Field (20,507) || 14–10 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 25 || April 26 || Nationals || 1–4 || Gore (3–1) || Senga (3–1) || Finnegan (5) || Citi Field (20,191) || 14–11 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 26 || April 27 || Nationals || 9–8 || Robertson (1–0) || Thompson (2–2) || — || Citi Field (20,726) || 15–11 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 27 || April 28 || Braves || 0–4 || Fried (2–0) || Peterson (1–4) || — || Citi Field (29,240) || 15–12 |- style="background:#bbb;" | — || April 29 || Braves || colspan=8| Postponed (inclement weather); rescheduled for August 12 |- style="background:#bbb;" | — || April 30 || Braves || colspan=8| Postponed (inclement weather); rescheduled for May 1
|- style="background:#fbb;" | 28 || May 1 || Braves || 8–9 || Strider (4–0) || Reyes (0–1) || Minter (6) || Citi Field () || 15–13 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 29 || May 1 || Braves || 5–3 || Smith (2–1) || Morton (3–3) || Robertson (5) || Citi Field (27,603) || 16–13 |- style="background:#bbb;" | — || May 2 || @ Tigers || colspan=8| Postponed (inclement weather); rescheduled for May 3 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 30 || May 3 || @ Tigers || 5–6 || Alexander (1–0) || Ottavino (0–2) || Lange (4) || Comerica Park (11,363) || 16–14 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 31 || May 3 || @ Tigers || 1–8 || Lorenzen (1–1) || Scherzer (2–2) || — || Comerica Park (16,734) || 16–15 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 32 || May 4 || @ Tigers || 0–2 || Rodríguez (3–2) || Verlander (0–1) || Lange (5) || Comerica Park (18,369) || 16–16 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 33 || May 5 || Rockies || 1–0 || Senga (4–1) || Senzatela (0–1) || Ottavino (4) || Citi Field (25,854) || 17–16 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 34 || May 6 || Rockies || 2–5 || Gomber (3–4) || Megill (3–2) || Johnson (5) || Citi Field (35,692) || 17–17 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 35 || May 7 || Rockies || 6–13 || Suter (1–0) || Yacabonis (2–1) || — || Citi Field (36,501) || 17–18 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 36 || May 9 || @ Reds || 6–7 || Weaver (1–2) || Peterson (1–5) || Díaz (7) || Great American Ball Park (14,065) || 17–19 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 37 || May 10 || @ Reds || 2–1 || Verlander (1–1) || Greene (0–3) || Robertson (6) || Great American Ball Park (14,515) || 18–19 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 38 || May 11 || @ Reds || 0–5 || Lively (1–0) || Senga (4–2) || Herget (1) || Great American Ball Park (14,855) || 18–20 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 39 || May 12 || @ Nationals || 3–2 || Megill (4–2) || Edwards Jr. (1–2) || Smith (1) || Nationals Park (31,904) || 19–20 |- style="background:#bbb;" | — || May 13 || @ Nationals || colspan=8| Suspended (inclement weather); resuming May 14 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 40 || May 14 || @ Nationals || 2–3 || Harvey (2–0) || Leone (0–1) || Finnegan (8) || Nationals Park (24,336) || 19–21 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 41 || May 14 || @ Nationals || 8–2 || Scherzer (3–2) || Irvin (1–1) || — || Nationals Park (21,507) || 20–21 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 42 || May 15 || @ Nationals || 3–10 || Corbin (2–5) || Peterson (1–6) || — || Nationals Park (15,220) || 20–22 |- style="background:#fbb;"