# Stephen A. Smith: Mets are trash for ignoring Chris Christie

> ESPN's Stephen A. Smith blames the Mets' failures on not listening to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who sits on the team's board.
- Title: Stephen A. Smith: Mets are trash for ignoring Chris Christie
- Summary: ESPN's Stephen A. Smith blames the Mets' failures on not listening to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who sits on the team's board. The Mets' poor…
- Keywords: new york mets, stephen a. smith, chris christie, david stearns, steve cohen, mlb, roster construction, postseason elimination, baseball operations, news, politics, Stephen
- Source: OutKick — https://foxnews.com/outkick-sports/mets-trash-not-listening-former-nj-gov-chris-christie-stephen-smith-says
- Author: Ryan Gaydos
- Published: 2026-09-16T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: new york mets, stephen a. smith, chris christie, david stearns, steve cohen, mlb, roster construction, postseason elimination, baseball operations, news, politics
## Mets collapse despite massive payroll
The Mets are batting .238 with a 4.16 ERA and have already been eliminated from the postseason despite having one of baseball's biggest payrolls at 344 million dollars.
## Pete Alonso leaves, burns Mets
The Mets let star player Pete Alonso walk to the Baltimore Orioles, and he immediately turned around and beat them on the field.
## Christie sits on Mets board
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is on the Mets' Board of Directors and has been a fan for 53 years with close ties to owner Steve Cohen.
## Smith: Mets ignoring Christie's advice
Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN that the Mets are trash because they're not listening to Christie, who he says knows baseball and should be consulted on major decisions.

> The Mets are trash, probably because they ain't listening to him.
## Smith demands Stearns be fired
Smith called for the removal of baseball operations president David Stearns and criticized owner Steve Cohen for robbing fans of a quality product over the last year and a half.

> You have robbed them the last year and a half of a product.
## Stearns hasn't replicated Brewers success
Stearns was praised for turning around the Milwaukee Brewers but has not found the same success with the Mets, who made the playoffs in 2024 before losing to the Dodgers and missing the postseason the last two seasons.
## Key takeaway

The Mets' poor performance stems from leadership not heeding advice from experienced voices like Christie, according to Smith.