The Mets stood at 4-4 before Juan Soto got injured against the Giants on April 3. And now, as he is set to return on Wednesday, the Mets are standing with a 7-16 record. Tuesday night’s 5-3 loss to the Twins pushed their current losing streak to 12 games.

So, Soto’s return is obviously the best thing happening to the team in weeks. He recorded .355 with one homer and five RBIs in eight games before getting sidelined. But just as the Mets fans were hoping to place all their hopes on the Dominican slugger, Francisco Lindor offered a reality check.

“At the end of the day, I hope everybody doesn’t put all the pressure on him because it would be a little unfair, but I know he’s going to help us a ton,” Lindor said.

Lindor is right. While Soto’s return to the team could offer a breather to the battered lineup, he is still not the one-stop solution for a team that actually stopped working in terms of hitting, defense, and running the bases.

Apart from Soto, only Jared Young and MJ Melendez are hitting above .300. The team’s heavy hitters look completely lost at the plate. Mark Vientos is hitting .232, Bo Bichette is hitting .219, and Lindor is batting .209. So, even if Soto returns and does his best, the Mets’ new core’s underwhelming batting cannot be cured.

In the first game against the Twins, only Lindor, Marcus Semien, and Carson Benge could manage to score. The rest of the lineup remained dry.

The Mets’ pitching staff is only making things worse. Against the Twins, Nolan McLean started and gave up 3 ERs while striking out 10 batters. Reliable names like Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea are struggling with ERAs of 8.83 and 4.50, respectively. Senga looked out of depth on Friday against the Cubs, allowing seven runs and three walks over just 3.1 innings.

Bullpen? The fans were critical of the front office for bringing in Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, and they are proving them right. Williams had a 4.79 ERA last year; currently, he has a 9.95 ERA. Weaver last year had a solid 3.62 ERA, but this time it has gone up to 6.23.

Williams’ struggles were clear on Tuesday. He allowed the final two runs on one hit and three walks, which took the Mets completely out of the game.

“It’s tough. I don’t know, I’ve never been a part of something like this. I think we just need to get the one win out of the way, and I think everything else will take care of itself, but it’s obviously proving pretty difficult right now,” Williams said.

Juan Soto’s return would definitely bring that much-needed spark. However, if the Mets’ pitching continues to implode, the 12-game losing streak will be the beginning of a much bigger problem.

It’s time to question the Mets’ offseason decisions

The Mets were outscored 62-19 entering play Monday, and this is enough to hold the team’s offseason strategy responsible. The Mets let go of Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo. McNeil is currently hitting .278 with the A’s, and Nimmo is hitting .295 with the Rangers. In contrast, the Mets landed Bo Bichette (.219) and Jorge Polanco (.179), who have yet to help the team.

The bullpen decisions look even worse. The Mets let go of Edwin Diaz despite having a 1.63 ERA. Instead, they invested $51 million in Devin Williams, who allowed his career-worst 33 ERs last year with the Yankees. Against the Blue Jays last April, Williams was tasked with closing out a tight 2-1 game in the 9th inning. He allowed a single and got blasted for a go-ahead, two-run double. The Yankees lost 4-2.

That should have been enough for the Mets to be careful about Williams.

So, with all these decisions now falling apart, David Stearns might be a moment away from facing the heat. He was the one responsible for assembling the 2026 roster. Manager Carlos Mendoza is already facing fans’ wrath and seems to be surrendering. “It sucks,” Mendoza said on Tuesday.

Williams already faced boos from the stands on Tuesday, and if the Mets’ .200 average in the last 11 games continues, the front office needs to brace up for what’s coming next.