Of all teams in Major League Baseball, the New York Mets may be the most disappointing.

When team owner Steve Cohen approved a payroll estimated by Fangraphs to be $359 million, he likely didn’t know his team would find itself in 4th place in the National League East.

With a record of 32-36, they are 10 games behind the division leading Atlanta Braves. Despite a victory over the New York Yankees June 14, the team has a 2-8 record in their last 10 games.

The Mets were fighting to be competitive from the beginning of the season, but the loss of slugger Pete Alonso to the Injured List puts the Mets in a very tenuous position.

The Mets now have to climb over three teams in the NL East to take the division lead.

Do the Mets have a pathway out of the quagmire they have created?

They may have to be very active in the trade market to right the sinking ship. That could mean adding young, controllable prospects in trade packages.

Right-handed hitting first baseman Pete Alonso, 28, was a 2nd round, 2016 New York Mets draft pick out of the University of Florida.

The Mets gave Alonso a $909,200 signing bonus as the No. 64 player chosen in the draft.

Alonso has been a bargain for the Mets since the day he was drafted.

The 2019 Rookie of the Year, Alonso was a Mets All Star that year, and in 2022.

So far in his career, Alonso has hit 94 doubles, six triples and 168 home runs in 2,515 plate appearances.

On July 12, 2021, Alonso won the All Star Home Run Derby, when he bashed 74 home runs in the Derby at Coors Field in Denver.

On June 7 this month, Alonso was hit on the left wrist with a fastball thrown at 96 miles per hour by Atlanta Braves starter Charlie Morton.

The Mets announced that initial X-rays of Alonso’s wrist were negative, but subsequent tests led the Mets to place him on the Injured List.

Reports indicate he has a bone bruise, and he could miss anywhere from three to four weeks of playing time.

At the time of his injury, Alonso was leading MLB in home runs with 22. He had 49 RBIs.

Last season, Alonso hit 40 homers and drove in 131 runs for the Mets. He was on pace to shatter that number. He still may.

Even with Alonso, the Mets weren’t beating down the fences before Alonso’s injury.

Now, without their slugger, the Mets will field a lineup that is currently ranked 11th in MLB home runs, with 80 long balls. That, of course, includes 22 from Alonso.

The Mets have a team batting average of ..240, which is below the current average MLB batting average of .248. The Mets rank 21st in batting average.

The Mets have scored 300 runs. By comparison, division rival Atlanta has scored 355.

Do the Mets have offensive assets to trade?

Top shortstop prospect Ronny Mauricio, 22, could be attractive to teams, as could outfielder Alex Ramirez, who is just 20-years-old.

Rookie third baseman Brett Baty, 23, could be a trade target as well.

While the loss of Alonso inflicts a huge impact on the Mets offense, a look into Mets pitching tells a troubling story of why the Mets are where they are.

As of the start of play June 15, the Mets rank 26th in MLB with a 4.27 Earned Run Average. The team’s pitchers have yielded 323 runs, placing them 19th in the game.

Opponents are hitting .253 against Mets pitching.

In March, the Mets lost left-handed starter Jose Quintana to bone graft surgery on his rib.

The rotation has been inconsistent.

To this old scout, there is no denying the Mets rotation is aging and losing much of the quality that was projected for them in the offseason.

For All Star right-handers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, it is tough for them to replicate the brilliance of their pasts.

Scherzer, now 38, has a record of 5-2. However, his ERA is 4.45 in 56.2 innings, up from 2.29 last year in 145.1 innings pitched. His WHIP is now 1.23, up from .0.90 last season. He represents $43,333,333 of this year’s team payroll.

Verlander, 40, has a record of 2-3, with a 4.40 ERA in 45 innings. His ERA last year was 1.75. A 2022 All Star, Verlander finished last year with a WHIP of 0.82. This year, his WHIP is 1.22. Verlander also represents $43,333,333 of this year’s team payroll.

The all right-handed Mets rotation also includes Tylor Megill (27) Kodai Senga (30) and Carlos Carrasco (36.)

The Mets bullpen ERA is 4.28, or 20th in baseball.

Mets closer Edwin Diaz was lost due to surgery he had in March for a torn patellar tendon. That was a huge blow to the team.

Right-handers David Robertson, 38, and Adam Ottavino, 37, have assumed the closer’s role. But they aren’t Diaz.

Pitchers Mike Vasil, 23, and Jose Butto, 25, are highly regarded prospect pitchers. Both may spark trade interest. Bryce Montes de Oca, a 27-year-old, 6-7, 266 pound right-hander, may garner interest as well. And there are other prospects of value.

Owner Steve Cohen may direct Billy Eppler, his general manager, to churn the Mets roster at the trade deadline.

With slugger Pete Alonso out until some time in July, how can they stay afloat in a competitive National League East that includes the Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the surging Miami Marlins?

If there are position players and pitchers available, one can be sure that an expensive salary won’t stand in the way of Mets ownership and the front office trying to add the player or players.

While the Mets were struggling to stay in the National League East race with Pete Alonso in the lineup, they now must try to compete with their best hitter watching games from the sidelines.